Which did you prefer? Trails of Cold Steel I or II?

[Deleted member 17627]

Currently playing through Cold Steel II after loving the first game (so much so I'd say it's one of my favorite RPGs now). However, I'm not really enjoying the sequel as much as I did the original.

Been playing for 20 hours now, and it really feels like the way things are handled feel so awkward. Story pacing feels so much slower than the original, where the latter it felt like there was world building or character development in nearly ever cutscene. Instead here it feels like not much is being contributed to the plot/cast in comparison (as of now, don't know if it gets better, but 20 hours feels like something interesting should've happened by now).

Overall, that, plus the greater emphasis on dungeon crawling over taking on sidequests has made things feel much more boring. Feels like when I finish a dungeon I fight a person or thing, and that's that; not getting the same feeling of accomplishment that I did in the first game.

I remember hearing from a lot of folks on here that they preferred Cold Steel II over I and would love to know more about why they did, and would love to see why people thought the first was better than the second too.

 

[Chaosblade]

In Cold Steel 2 I liked not having the school, and feeling a bit more like the Sky games in terms of traveling around on the roads during the first half of the game. Cold Steel 1 was more consistent throughout though, CS2's second half really dragged. Then CS2 has a "third half" and I just couldn't bring myself to finish because I was so burnt out.

Would say I prefer CS1 but it's close. Prefer Sky (even just FC and SC) to both though.

 

[Chie Satonaka]

Cold Steel 2.

If for no other reason, I fucking love Divine Knight battles.

 

[Deleted member 17627]

Cold Steel 2.

If for no other reason, I fucking love Divine Knight battles.

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I got to admit, I'm excited for those.

 

[Deleted member 9746]

You might enjoy it more once you get to the Divertissement and then Act 2.

Act 1 generally follows the formula you're seeing of getting your classmates back together.

I prefer the second game as it feels a bit more polished in the gameplay/presentation department and there are some outstanding moments and revelations.

 

[borntoulouselautrec]

Both are bad and it's galling that CS will be the longest saga in the series (or series in the saga?).

The characters in CS1 are completely flat, pacing's completely off (everything interesting in CS1 happens in the last hour of the game and then ends on a huge cliffhanger).

Then CS2 with its constant filler, pointless dungeons again w/ weird pacing. It's clear that there were supposed to be one game but where Sky 1 and SC managed to make it work here it made me not care about the future of Kiseki at all.

I am really pumped for the new proper Zero fantranslation. Being policemen is so much more interesting than characterless Rean and his boring school buddies.

 

[Jolkien]

Cold Steel are not bad, they're weaker than Sky and Ao and Zero but they're still fantastic game imo. I prefer CS2 to CS1 but CS3 is better than the both of them. Can't wait to play CS4, hopefully Nisa will announce soon their localization plans at Pax in January since they said they'd announce new games.

To be fair to the above poster you're not policeman in Zero and Ao, you're basicly bracers in all but name due to the situation between the bracer's guild and Erebonia.

 

[Deleted member 437]

I prefer cs2 honestly.

Amazing series though. Fucking love cs1 2 and 3.

I need 4 nowwwwwwwwww.

 

[borntoulouselautrec]

To be fair to the above poster you're not policeman in Zero and Ao, you're basicly bracers in all but name due to the situation between the bracer's guild and Erebonia.

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I know, I played with the earlier (broken) fan translation patch and it was still really fun. Then I decided to wait for the Geofront patch because writing is so important in Kiseki.

 

[Łazy]

I prefer the first 1 but all in all they were pretty weak compared to previous entries.

2 was too repetitive and I disliked its specific story as well as how events were unfolding.
And it's not getting better in the second half really. Kinda the opposite. Just do it for ending part at least.

I still can't believe it's getting the longest run despite being the worst part so far.
Still, enjoyable games.

 

[Augemitbutter]

first game killed my enthusiasm. II was better with more game happening and the typical story showdowns for the 2nd game.

 

[Maffis]

I found that revisiting old places from 1 made the sequel a bit less interesting for me. They reused a lot of the them so there weren't much excitement to explore the world.

 

[hans_castorp]

Neither. Cold Steel I is the worst kiseki game.
Cold Steel II hast some really cool segments and the final chapters are amazing, but the overall pace is atrocious. And if you've played Ao you already know some of the plot twists.

 

[Deleted member 26768]

1 succeeds a lot more in what it sets out to do than 2 does

 

[CSX]

I prefer CS2 over CS1 though both have their issues.

CS2 was 4-5 dungeons too long but it has the story advantage over CS1 simply since it's the 2nd game in a Trails story arc ,where all the big ass plot twists, explosions, and "wtfs" tend to happen in Trails games lol

 

[Desma]

I think CS II epilogue is the big highlight, and it kinda justifies the game shortcomings.

Do stick with it, if only to play cs iii later. I think you'll like that one

 

[borntoulouselautrec]

Do the characters get fleshed out in CS3 and 4?

 

[Jolkien]

Do the characters get fleshed out in CS3 and 4?

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They're not part of the main cast in CS3. You see them and know what happenned to them but they were already quite fleshed out at the end of Cold Steel 2. I felt like I knew Class 7 pretty well. I had a huge smile on my face when you learn what they ended up doing after graaduating from Thor.

 

[BluWacky]

CS1 was by far the more enjoyable game.

CS2 has:
- little meaningful character development, which is supposedly the draw of Trails games;
- a "main" plot that does essentially nothing but spin its wheels for far, far too long. The game only exists to allow time to pass in Erebonia, and the climax is nonsensical.
- a ridiculous ending (not the "ending" ending, but the epilogue) where actual dialogue states that none of what you are doing at that point matters in any way at all.

There's essentially nothing to say about it from a gameplay perspective, as it plays almost identically to CS1.

 

[Open Wound]

I prefer 2. I'm a big fan of what it does storywise, building the story and Rean with some more generic shonen elements and then not doing that at all. It's very subversive for a Trails game, which I appreciate.

I also feel the formula used in the Cold Steel games of limiting the world on first entry and then expanding it and adding free roam for the sequel works really well. The second game benefits a lot from that as it tweaks the formula just enough to feel different and not making as much of a retread by adding roads and locations, while keeping everything that the Trails formula does intact. It's also great for experimentation in terms of gameplay as it's not near as restrictive as the first entries where your hands are tied most of the time.

Do the characters get fleshed out in CS3 and 4?

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No. If you feel that they're not fleshed out in CS1, then the answer is no.

CS3 focus much more in a new cast of characters, so while the cast of the previous games play a big part, they have already gotten most of their character development done.

 

[Qurupeke]

Cold Steel II is a better game overall, but the ending of Cold Steel I is just too good, and a big surprise. CS2 felt a bit anticlimactic.

 

[HK_1]

I thought Cold Steel II was much better than I simply for the fact that it's an exciting Civil War where a bunch of unbelievable shit happens

 

[Pellaidh]

I liked CS1 way more.

Most of all, CS2 just feels way longer than it has to be. There's just so much padding, and the entire game could be at the very least be half as long without really missing anything important. It just feels like not nearly enough actually happens in the game, and most of the character development feels like it's redoing the same general storylines as the first game.

The entire thing feels like an 80 hour long setup for Cold Steel 3, ending just when things actually start to get interesting.

Plus in terms of characters, I hated how the game handled Crow and pretty much anything revolving around him.

I also actually really liked the school stuff from the first game. Every character there had a nice little story of his own, and talking to them between missions was a great way to flesh out the world. CS2 felt kind of lacking in this respect, and I can't even remember any of the NPC sidestories from it.

 

[Deleted member 9746]

Do the characters get fleshed out in CS3 and 4?

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Not sure why people are saying no, CS3 has a lot of development for the old cast even if it follows a new Class VII.

It's especially good for characters that got neglected in the first two games, like Gaius for example.

 

[Kyrios]

Love both but CS2 is my personal favorite even after loving CS3.

But I've played them all this year so it kind of felt like one continuous game for me in a sense (which I loved and never got burnt out). But event-wise, CS2 is my favorite.

 

[KernelC]

I think it cannot be overstated how inferior they both are to the Trails in the Sky trilogy.
But I liked both, kinda. CS1 felt a bit more focused whereas CS2 had way more filler.
But the mechanics in CS2 were improved. Story overall is still very weak and characters are a big stepdown from the Trails in the Sky trilogy, typical anime main character syndrome.

So, I'd say I like CS1 more despite CS2 being a better game

 

[EddyLovesTunaRolls]

I liked CS2 more because I felt like I was playing a Suikoden spiritual successor.

The duels, the random battles, the mini games, the base building, the character recruitment, the politics.

That shit was Suikoden.

 

[Tibarn]

I liked Cs1 far more than Cs2.

Cs2 has some really good moments (the Divertissement introduces a lot of new lore that seems important, and the Crossbell section at the end is great), but it never feels like a real "war" as they always tell you that the real fight is happening at the other side of the country all the time. The characters have some development and it's interesting to watch them "survive" or fight against the civil war on their own, but all the big questions Cs1 presents to the player are not answered on Cs2, in fact the biggest plot/lore new content is a NG+ exclusive piece that is basically a text dump.

Sky SC did a far better job re-using the assets from the first game while presenting a high-stakes story with a epic ending that concluded the plotline in a good way, while in CS II the most epic section (you know the castle section) lacks a proper conclusion and the epilogue feels like mediocre fanservice.

 

[deathsaber]

While I adored both games (and 3 too), and both are about the same to me in quality, honestly I'd give a slight nod to the 1st game. Honestly, I just like the lower key "slice of life" stuff, as this had the most of its running time set at the school where you regularly make your rounds around, talking to all the fellow students, and see all the new conversation options that constantly update every time the story advances a little, and then look forward to the field studies where you learned more about the greater world for the first time.

 

[Velezcora]

I much prefer II for its more open feeling and the airship. Collecting Thors students was really cool. I will say CS II is maybe a bit too stretched out. I didn't like the dungeons to get the ore for Rean's tachi for Valimar. I also feel like the epilogue was pure fan service and should have been completely optional. The epilogue dungeon was a cool idea but it should have been an optional mode you unlock after beating CS II.

CS II also has Divine knight battles. Which are amazing.

 

[Deleted member 17627]

Plus in terms of characters, I hated how the game handled Crow and pretty much anything revolving around him.

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This. So much this.

It really feels like Falcom was like "Hey! We need a traitor!" and they took away probably the most interesting character of Class VII as a result. Even more annoying that apparently in Cold Steel III.

Spoiler

He's brainwashed and working for the bad guys again, for the whole game.

 

[Korigama]

1 succeeds a lot more in what it sets out to do than 2 does

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Pretty much how I see it. Combat is better in CS2, but I had far more nitpicks about its story and the fact that it just refused to end. Still liked both games, but actually playing through CS2 felt more like a chore at times in ways that CS1 never did for me.

 

[Deleted member 58846]

CS3 is the best one.
Of the first two, the first one is better.

 

[Deleted member 17627]

CS3 is the best one.
Of the first two, the first one is better.

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I honestly just want to play 3 already instead of trying to push through this.

 

[tommyv2]

CS1 is infinitely better. CS2 really dropped the ball, to say nothing of the epilogue which I thought was a damn glitch in my game.

 

[Deleted member 58846]

I honestly just want to play 3 already instead of trying to push through this.

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2 has severe story implications especially towards the end, so I don't advise abandoning it.
It's just a hell of a slog to get through.

 

[Korigama]

2 has severe story implications especially towards the end, so I don't advise abandoning it.
It's just a hell of a slog to get through.

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.

That said, CS3 does also assume that the player read the decoded Black Records and saw the additional scene related to that, both being exclusive to NG+ in CS2. Best to just look those up to save time.

 

[shimon]

2.

 

[Deleted member 9746]

Emma is so powerful, like wow. She did that.

 

[Deleted member 26768]

Emma is so powerful, like wow. She did that.

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she's a true cock destroyer

 

[Deleted member 9746]

she's a true cock destroyer

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I love Alisa More and Emma Anderson!

 

[Cassius Bright]

It's honestly a really tricky question. I real love them both,

I' give it to cold Steel 1 but its really tough. both are awesome games.

Cold steel 1 has atrocious road which certainly tips it in it'sfaavour cos that shit is glorious

 

[Maxina]

Cold Steel 1 tries too hard to be Persona, and ends up with terrible pacing because of it imo, and tbh Cold Steel 2 is also badly paced, but improved. I'd say, Cold Steel 2, just because it sets everything up for the third game which is infinitely better then its 2 predecessors.

Spoiler

but then CS4 comes along and shits on it all

 

[Deleted member 49438]

I played both back to back over the course of a couple weeks. So they kind of run together. I think the main reason I prefer CS1 literally comes down to Towa's voice line when you complete all the available quests in a chapter, "You did really well, Rean!" But both are great games. CS2 is cool though b/c it feels like more of the rising action whereas CS1 is more of just exposition.

 

[Deleted member 17627]

Cold Steel 1 tries too hard to be Persona, and ends up with terrible pacing because of it imo, and tbh Cold Steel 2 is also badly paced, but improved. I'd say, Cold Steel 2, just because it sets everything up for the third game which is infinitely better then its 2 predecessors.

Spoiler

but then CS4 comes along and shits on it all

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Spoiler

What's wrong with 4? Feel free to spoil lol.

 

[Korigama]

Spoiler

What's wrong with 4? Feel free to spoil lol.

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Not a spoiler, but IIRC the most common complaint I've seen with CS4 other than the soundtrack has been how they magnified the harem aspect exponentially.

 

[Deleted member 26768]

Spoiler

What's wrong with 4? Feel free to spoil lol.

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it has the CS2 pacing and structure except even worse, the second chapter could have been cut entirely with the final moments moved over somewhere else and nothing would have been lost
and then we have Rean who literally shift to "Any hole is a goal" as his modus operandi

 

[Maxina]

Spoiler

What's wrong with 4? Feel free to spoil lol.

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Well some people already took the liberty of answering, but my take:

Spoiler

terrible pacing, lots of plotholes, so many characters that a large chunk of them end up irrelevant to the overall plot and are just there for the fan service, everyone goes back to stroking Rean's dick and they go all in on the harem shit. "Character dies" = lol just kidding. TL;DR, 1 step forward 2 steps back.

 

[FallenGrace]

I prefer 1.

It's slow in places, has some tropes but the ending was a real rush and it had awesome music.

Cold steel 1 has atrocious raid which certainly tips it in it's favour cos that shit is glorious

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Yes, yes it very much is.

 

[psynergyadept]

1 was very good; 2 was meh. The story got flat after the "rescue" of a certain someone until the very end. 2 was a giant fetch quest to face the main antagonist for the end.

Currently playing 3 it it's fucking good.