Had no idea that Ao was this rough on PC. I'll most likely bother with the PSP version on my Vita instead, as I picked up PSP versions of Zero and Ao before knowing this for around $20 CAD together on eBay.
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I was hyped for Trails of Cold Steel 3: But according to fans I shouldn't play it...
- Thread starter Bomblord
- Start date
just a reminder the review embargo ends in 2 hours and I answered this question in my review too.
Also there is a demo on PSN right now that is the prologue chapter of the game. Data carries over to final game
Also there is a demo on PSN right now that is the prologue chapter of the game. Data carries over to final game
After having played through both Zero and Ao on fan translations, I can tell you that yeah you should play both for context.
Man, that said, I'm growing weary of this series. Ending of Ao no Kiseki was meh to me.
I used to think this series had the best writing in jrpgs but, I thought Ao's ending was sort of lame.
The concepts and ideas were great, though.
Anyway, yeah, 60 hours for Zero and 70 for Ao and I was burnt out mid-way for Ao. Just read a synopsis.
Man, that said, I'm growing weary of this series. Ending of Ao no Kiseki was meh to me.
I used to think this series had the best writing in jrpgs but, I thought Ao's ending was sort of lame.
The concepts and ideas were great, though.
Anyway, yeah, 60 hours for Zero and 70 for Ao and I was burnt out mid-way for Ao. Just read a synopsis.
Reposting this from the community thread:
My review is live now, I've played the sky series, Zero and watched a recap of Ao beforehand.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III - Review | Gamer Guides
You need to play CSI and II as a minimum and then anything else after that will help you understand certain characters/areas/plot points a lot more. It is worth mentioning that Rean is like the player in that he doesn't know these events too well either.
My review is live now, I've played the sky series, Zero and watched a recap of Ao beforehand.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III - Review | Gamer Guides
You need to play CSI and II as a minimum and then anything else after that will help you understand certain characters/areas/plot points a lot more. It is worth mentioning that Rean is like the player in that he doesn't know these events too well either.
Not quite finished with the game, but after 70 hours I can confirm the localization is up to par! While you can play Cold Steel III having only played Cold Steel I and II, I wouldn't personally recommend it.
Can Echo this in my review as well
I started in the franchise with Cold Steel 1, then moved to 2. Knowing these two is the minimum I recommend before playing three. Even so, there is a backstory option included with CS3 that covers all the main points too from 1 and 2 plus extra. I wouldn't recommend jumping straight in since this is Rean's Story and It would be ideal to know his story along with Class VII
indeed. NISA definitely put the time into localization on this one. They did it justice.
I'm sure all of us fans are relieved, and now we can look forward to CS4, and hopefully the future games in the series from NISA.
I mean, the divertissement in CS2 featured characters we've never met in the west. It sucks but
Happy to read that! Can't wait! DQ11 has been finished, this week I'm playing short games, and by Tuesday I'll be ready to dive into another long ass JRPG that will hold me until Pokémon, most likely.
Happy to read that! Can't wait! DQ11 has been finished, this week I'm playing short games, and by Tuesday I'll be ready to dive into another long ass JRPG that will hold me until Pokémon, most likely.
Fans of the series are naturally going to recommend what offers the best experience for the series as a whole. It isn't uncommon for people to find CS1 and 2 to be among the weaker games in the series, and by skipping everything else you're not only missing out on context and details, but also skipping the best the series has to offer.
Ultimately, CS3 is going to be better the more games you have played before it, or at least watched LPs or something. Whether or not you're okay with what you're missing out on is kind of up to the individual. If you want to play CS3 and just don't want to or can't play Sky and Crossbell, give it a go. I've seen people get into these games in the wonkiest of orders, just playing CS to start would hardly be the weirdest.
Ultimately, CS3 is going to be better the more games you have played before it, or at least watched LPs or something. Whether or not you're okay with what you're missing out on is kind of up to the individual. If you want to play CS3 and just don't want to or can't play Sky and Crossbell, give it a go. I've seen people get into these games in the wonkiest of orders, just playing CS to start would hardly be the weirdest.
Hmm I see, but wouldn't I run into the same issue as the OP then seeing that Trails is seemingly important to get the bigger picture in CS3?
The more games you play, the better you'll find the later games to be. But if you just can't get into or don't have the time for the the earlier Trails games, it's totally valid to just play the CS titles and enjoy what you can. CS1/2 are also pretty decent starting points on their own, so you could play those and then go back to the earlier games if you think you'd be up for it.
I get the issue with Zero/Azure (it stresses me out, too!), but why on earth would you not play the Trails in the Sky trilogy? They're easily available, and they're wonderful. Better than CS1/CS2, which they are key to understanding.
I imagine lots of Trails fans don't see the investment of older arcs as "all for one game", but rather "all for one game plus the sequel plus all future games". Because the series is at its 60% point right now meaning there's more to come and catching up won't be getting any less time-consuming.
The right attitude imho Is jumping on an arc and go forward. If It makes you courious seeing other characters play older titles. I did Sky, than cold steel 1+2 than i wanted to know more of Lloyd and played zero and Ao.
Playing everything Is raccomanded but not mandatory since falcom show things from the point of view of each cast arc (bracers in the Sky, special support in crossbell and class 7 and rean in cold steel) and do a recap of pasts events.
Imho
Playing everything Is raccomanded but not mandatory since falcom show things from the point of view of each cast arc (bracers in the Sky, special support in crossbell and class 7 and rean in cold steel) and do a recap of pasts events.
Imho
I'm in the same boat, and I don't have a PC to play any of the other games aside from CS1/2 (which I played on PS4) either. I opted for this: I'm watching plot summaries on YouTube. There are some really good ones out there, that do amount to quite a few hours in and of itself, and whilst of course it isn't as emotional as playing the games myself, I am now familiar with Skies' characters and their stories, and am currently in the process of learning about the Crossbell story. I am a busy woman, so even if I HAD a pc to do this with, I am not sure I would.
It's really up to you though. I won't deny though that I considered the factor that the sales of CS3 may determine whether or not they bring over CS4, and if everyone just waits for the Crossbell games or starts with the Sky games (as, in my perception, a lot of people have only really gained interest in the series after CS3's announcement, most likely due to the more appealing graphics as well as the fact that NISA is actually marketing it), ne therefore only buys CS3 in like a year when it might be on discount... That may or may not keep us from ever getting CS4 over here. And whilst I know nothing about the story contents of CS3/4 aside from what the CS3 demo showed, I have been told that you would not want to play CS3 and then stop there. So... Yeah.
It's really up to you though. I won't deny though that I considered the factor that the sales of CS3 may determine whether or not they bring over CS4, and if everyone just waits for the Crossbell games or starts with the Sky games (as, in my perception, a lot of people have only really gained interest in the series after CS3's announcement, most likely due to the more appealing graphics as well as the fact that NISA is actually marketing it), ne therefore only buys CS3 in like a year when it might be on discount... That may or may not keep us from ever getting CS4 over here. And whilst I know nothing about the story contents of CS3/4 aside from what the CS3 demo showed, I have been told that you would not want to play CS3 and then stop there. So... Yeah.
Not that much really since It Is clear the side of the characters controlled and the game explain what's happened in crossbell.
It shows things clearly but It does not explain the personal story of Lloyd and co but the reasons are obvious.
Yeah that makes sense, I might just restart CS1 the next time I'm feeling like starting a new JRPG and then if I get around finishing all three CS games I might just play Trails retroactively. Who knows maybe CS makes me curious enough about the whole thing that it increases my enjoyment of Trails, thanks for the input!
The thing is, I own Trails 1 on PC and I tried playing it for a few hours and had fun but it never grabbed me to the point I really felt like: "Okay now I really want to know what happens!" Estelle and Joshua are great characters but it didn't help that the game is so expansive and dynamic with NPCs. Since NPC dialog actually gets updated every now and then I sooner or later felt overwhelmed and running around trying to talk to every NPC after every event and it just burnt me out after a while. I fully acknowledge that's on me and not the game but still :/
On the contrary when I briefly played CS1 I was immediately hooked from the first time I played it and I wanted to know who these characters are and how it all plays out and was this JRPG mode where I want to play hours and lose track of time. Trails so far didn't get me to this but it might at some point. Grandia 1 is one of my favorite JRPGs of all time, it was a rental the first time I played it and I wanted to return it right away during the beginning because the game did nothing for me and annoyed me even back then. But since I rented it on a weekend I couldn't and eventually played on, by the time I left Parm I did a complete 180° on the game and finished it in the next 3-4 days! I suspect the same might at some point happen with Trails for me but unlike Grandia it has the "problem" of being really expansive and overwhelming to the point where I wish I could disable battling entirely and just focus on the characters and story, maybe that would help me.
Yeah, if you play on easy and hold down the turbo button and don't do sidequests or read all the NPC dialogue, you can probably get through the Trails trilogy in under 100 hours. *whistles cheerfully*
You don't have to pay attention to NPC's if you don't want to. I only paid attention to the ones I liked.
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In Cold Steel 1/2 you'll miss some hidden side quests needed for S-ranking a chapter if you don't talk to everyone (the basic side quests are always written down). But honestly the NPC's are so unique and interesting that I found myself talking to all of them after every event anyway. I became invested in a lot of their mundane goings-on.
I wouldn't recommend jumping straight in to Cold Steel 3, but as long as you watch the recaps in game or some story recaps on YouTube, you'll be alright.
Maybe? It's not that big a deal. I don't think there's that many hidden side quests out chapter. There's probably a guide you can check. The majority of side quests are on the guild board.
Thing is, if CS1 and CS2 "grab" you, you'll have a lot more fun playing the Sky games and then moving on to CS3. CS2 doesn't end on a cliffhanger, so it's a relatively good stopover point. And CS3 benefits massively from each additional Trails game you've played.
Only a handful. (like 5% or less) Even if you talk to everyone you might still miss some "points" by simply failing to meet certain conditions. If you're perfectionistic about that kind of thing there's guides around that tell you where hidden quests/conditions are without telling you much more.
Hmm I see that sounds like I can handle it then and just handle the NPCs based on my interest and mood, previously I assumed that there's a lot of content behind the NPCs.
Ah so you're suggesting I could play CS1 --> CS2 --> Trails 1-3 --> CS3, hmm that's interesting and might work for me, I didn't think of that thanks for the suggestion! :D And yeah a guide for the NPCs would also be okay I guess. I'm not 100% OCD perfectionist but I was just afraid of missing a decent chunk of the game.
CS1 > CS2 > Sky 1...3 > CS3 indeed makes more sense than CS1...3 > Sky 1...3. Not only because characters and events from Sky are mentioned or return in CS3, but also because CS3 ends on a cliffhanger so putting it off while playing other stuff until at least CS4 has a release date can do wonders for your sanity.
CS1 and CS2 do a fantastic job of marketing the other games in the series on their own. If you take anything away from those two games, it'll be significantly more interest than you had coming in on what's happening concurrently in Crossbell or how it all started in Liberl. And the other games are just as great enough to make it worth jumping through whatever hoops you gotta, regardless of how minor they are.
For reference, I've had multiple friends bounce off Sky, play through CS1/2 first, then come back and play through Sky/Crossbell and enjoy them much more as they better understood the flow of a Trails game and enjoyed all the ways those games essentially foreshadowed stuff they already knew.
You can do all of them in one playthru apparently if you start on Nightmare (not a good idea unless you're HARDCORE DOOD) but this guide is a good spoiler-free bullet point on getting everything you can on one playthrough at least.
I'll be playing on Normal and just doing what I can and enjoying the ride. I was never a fan of RPG difficulty levels since they just inflate number values on enemies.
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Trails in the Sky 1-3 PC/Vita/PSP depending on the game
Trails Crosbell Arc (2 games) PC/PSP/Vita
Trails of Cold Steel 1-2 PC/Vita/PS3/PS4
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CS1-2 are also on PS3 and PS4.
Crossbell is also on Vita if u count the evolution versions (tho u typed PC twice so im assuming that was meant to be Vita).
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This. Folks are all over the place with the "you have to start with Sky!" and while I generally agree that it's best from a story perspective to start with Sky and play everything in order, it's fine to go out of order. You're setting yourself up for some spoiling, but that's okay to me because the best part of all this is the interconnections that come from subsequent playthroughs. At that point you're already spoilered, so it's fine, if you get what I mean.
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Not particularly, just felt like I was playing as new characters to get a different perspective.
Okay
Playing through trails in the Sky FC right now
Have SC and will be buying Third chapter this upcoming winter sale on steam
Gonna get cold steel in the future but crossbell may be a issue
Does crossbell take place before or after trails in the Sky?
After. The events of Crossbell take place concurrently with Cold Steel 1-2.
Edit: Don't worry about Crossbell too much atm, you still got plenty of good ass Sky ahead of you.
You should be able to follow it, but you might not be able to appreciate it. Then again, you can just treat Zero/Ao like prequels to go back to later ... But III kind of spoils Ao, whereas the series had previously been a little coy with spoiling Sora SC in the Zero/Ao games.
The biggest reason to play Zero/Ao is that they're the best arc in the series. 2nd best is Sora. Hopefully Falcom can do better in the future.
The biggest reason to play Zero/Ao is that they're the best arc in the series. 2nd best is Sora. Hopefully Falcom can do better in the future.