Act 3 is like if someone took every single miserably bad part of the series and filled a 20 hour chapter with solely that
Would have probably been a great game if it wasn't rushed and undercooked as a replacement for the delayed Ys X leading to situations where they clearly didn't have enough time to write an actual reason for story beats to happen leading to just absolutely hilarious moments
Would have probably been a great game if it wasn't rushed and undercooked as a replacement for the delayed Ys X leading to situations where they clearly didn't have enough time to write an actual reason for story beats to happen leading to just absolutely hilarious moments
So, I was initially going to wait for a Japanese PC release, but the fact that it is nowhere in sight combined with me desperately wanting to see what happens next in the Trails series made me play this earlier than I expected. At least I got the latest update of the translation, and it reads fine.
The gameplay in this is the peak of the series, obviously, best JRPG combat ever. I'm curious as to why they nerfed S-Crafts even further by adding a cooldown though, they already nerfed them with S-Boosts in Kuro 1, so what gives? I like the addition of Quick Arts. The music is amazing in this, badass electric guitars all around.
My GOAT Renne shines here (as per usual), however her actual substantial scenes and contributions amount to about 30 minutes, otherwise she's a pure supporting character. You can see this as a conclusion of sorts to her series-long arc, though, which is cool.
The characters and plot are all over the place for me here. The plot, as you've probably heard from other reviews, does nothing to progress the overall Zemurian storyline (not inherently a problem, 3rd was, until this point, the most irrelevant game to the series as a whole and yet it was amazing), with the society doing jack shit in this, but it also doesn't do all that much to progress the remaining mysteries of Kuro 1. It does finish some loose ends, but for the most part it feels like a side quest before the actual sequel. I think Van being "too complete of a character", in a manner of speaking, contributes to this. His arc was, a couple mysteries aside, very conclusive in Kuro 1, so this one retreads old ground at times. It's honestly hard to describe... it just feels like shit happens in this sometimes, and that's it? Not something you often see in Trails. Maybe rushed is the right word?
The final boss is amazing gameplay wise, but after the novelty wears off for that and the story part of it, the ending is extremely underwhelming. Probably my least favourite ending in the series.
One thing I will give this game though, it really does help flesh out a lot of characters, they just aren't Van or Agnes. The pacing and structure for how these subplots are approached is another question entirely. You may have heard about how chapter 3 is one of the least liked chapters, that's definitely part of it.
I'll be waiting for Kai no Kiseki, but to be honest, I'm in no rush right now. Maybe I'll 100% Reverie or something (which would be a first for a non-VN game for me, I just liked it that much). Kuro 2 is not a bad game by any means, but the best way to describe it is that it's a mish-mash, a first mess of this kind since CS2 and CS4. It reminds me of those games the most.
The gameplay in this is the peak of the series, obviously, best JRPG combat ever. I'm curious as to why they nerfed S-Crafts even further by adding a cooldown though, they already nerfed them with S-Boosts in Kuro 1, so what gives? I like the addition of Quick Arts. The music is amazing in this, badass electric guitars all around.
My GOAT Renne shines here (as per usual), however her actual substantial scenes and contributions amount to about 30 minutes, otherwise she's a pure supporting character. You can see this as a conclusion of sorts to her series-long arc, though, which is cool.
The characters and plot are all over the place for me here. The plot, as you've probably heard from other reviews, does nothing to progress the overall Zemurian storyline (not inherently a problem, 3rd was, until this point, the most irrelevant game to the series as a whole and yet it was amazing), with the society doing jack shit in this, but it also doesn't do all that much to progress the remaining mysteries of Kuro 1. It does finish some loose ends, but for the most part it feels like a side quest before the actual sequel. I think Van being "too complete of a character", in a manner of speaking, contributes to this. His arc was, a couple mysteries aside, very conclusive in Kuro 1, so this one retreads old ground at times. It's honestly hard to describe... it just feels like shit happens in this sometimes, and that's it? Not something you often see in Trails. Maybe rushed is the right word?
The final boss is amazing gameplay wise, but after the novelty wears off for that and the story part of it, the ending is extremely underwhelming. Probably my least favourite ending in the series.
One thing I will give this game though, it really does help flesh out a lot of characters, they just aren't Van or Agnes. The pacing and structure for how these subplots are approached is another question entirely. You may have heard about how chapter 3 is one of the least liked chapters, that's definitely part of it.
I'll be waiting for Kai no Kiseki, but to be honest, I'm in no rush right now. Maybe I'll 100% Reverie or something (which would be a first for a non-VN game for me, I just liked it that much). Kuro 2 is not a bad game by any means, but the best way to describe it is that it's a mish-mash, a first mess of this kind since CS2 and CS4. It reminds me of those games the most.
5 stars even though I didn't understand this game one bit
A welcome departure from the usual Trails formula without ever feeling derivative. Whereas most other Trails games focus on a larger-scale narrative, Kuro 2 opts to explore the intricacies of the main cast's dynamics. That's not to say that there are still aren't stakes, but they, to me, feel a lot more interpersonal with them tying into the overarching theme of humans and sin.
I do very much enjoy the route structure returning from Hajimari while also blending the 3 act structure from CS2/4. It helped keep the story consistently engaging despite a few sections not being particularly interesting for me. What sets Kuro 2 apart from the games before is its inclusion of the time rewinds and bad ends which helps add tension to almost every scene and action the characters make.
With this game being more character-driven than most, it has some immensely resonant scenes with the connect events in particular being the prime example of that. Kuro's cast is phenomenal and maybe the best in the series to date counting those outside of the Solutions Office. The villains too were great, having great dynamics with the cast members while being interesting in their own right.
If I had to nitpick about anything in this game, it would be the music, more specifically the direction. The music in these games are almost always a huge hit and while I do like this game's soundtrack, the bad direction is very noticeable to even someone like me who isn't particularly knowledgeable on music theory. Though with its weird utilization of certain songs in the wrong moments and spamming others to the point of scenes being immersion-breaking or fights not being as weighty, it's hard to turn an eye to it.
One final highlight of experiencing this game was both the theories I had while playing and those that I now have once finished. As an avid lore merchant, this game certainly scratched that itch of immersing me more into the mythos of Zemuria and its factions. As the series heads into its final stretch, I'm as happy as ever to be a fan of Trails.
Also, that final boss fight might be the single greatest peak in the entire series.
I do very much enjoy the route structure returning from Hajimari while also blending the 3 act structure from CS2/4. It helped keep the story consistently engaging despite a few sections not being particularly interesting for me. What sets Kuro 2 apart from the games before is its inclusion of the time rewinds and bad ends which helps add tension to almost every scene and action the characters make.
With this game being more character-driven than most, it has some immensely resonant scenes with the connect events in particular being the prime example of that. Kuro's cast is phenomenal and maybe the best in the series to date counting those outside of the Solutions Office. The villains too were great, having great dynamics with the cast members while being interesting in their own right.
If I had to nitpick about anything in this game, it would be the music, more specifically the direction. The music in these games are almost always a huge hit and while I do like this game's soundtrack, the bad direction is very noticeable to even someone like me who isn't particularly knowledgeable on music theory. Though with its weird utilization of certain songs in the wrong moments and spamming others to the point of scenes being immersion-breaking or fights not being as weighty, it's hard to turn an eye to it.
One final highlight of experiencing this game was both the theories I had while playing and those that I now have once finished. As an avid lore merchant, this game certainly scratched that itch of immersing me more into the mythos of Zemuria and its factions. As the series heads into its final stretch, I'm as happy as ever to be a fan of Trails.
Also, that final boss fight might be the single greatest peak in the entire series.
I think a lot of people aren't as satisfied with this game because it doesn't advance the overall Zemuria plotline which is fine by me cause I think some of the best games in the series (Sky 3rd, Zero, Kuro 1) don't or barely do at all anyways. This game feels like more of a Kuro 1.5. Spends time fleshing out characters that needed more screen time in previous games, a little more backstory on Van and teasing about his relationship with Elaine which is pretty nice. Kuro NPCs continue to be PEAK and the sidequests were also consistently great. The gameplay has seen a couple balancing changes which made the game WAY more fun than the first to me.
It's a mess at times especially with it's awful act 3 that should honestly make it lose more points but I had such a good time with it that I don't mind.
If Backloggd had a better scoring system I'd give it like an 8.8 or so but I'm giving it 4.5 stars cause putting it next to Hajimari feels wrong.
It's a mess at times especially with it's awful act 3 that should honestly make it lose more points but I had such a good time with it that I don't mind.
If Backloggd had a better scoring system I'd give it like an 8.8 or so but I'm giving it 4.5 stars cause putting it next to Hajimari feels wrong.
Save the Soul Society, Rean Schwarzer
It doesn't advance the overarching story much but outside of that it's nothing but gas. The character writing is still really strong and the returning characters like Swin and Nadia are treated really well and are implemented in a way that doesn't feel like pandering or fanservice.
In terms of gameplay they pretty much fixed my only complaints with Kuro 1, S-Crafts now have cooldown so you can't constantly spam them, the AT bar actually makes sense and you can steal turn order bonuses again and boss fights from my experience aren't completely braindead easy on Nightmare difficulty anymore. Also has what is probably the rawest final boss in the series.
In terms of gameplay they pretty much fixed my only complaints with Kuro 1, S-Crafts now have cooldown so you can't constantly spam them, the AT bar actually makes sense and you can steal turn order bonuses again and boss fights from my experience aren't completely braindead easy on Nightmare difficulty anymore. Also has what is probably the rawest final boss in the series.
Van Arkride i kneel
Made Swin a series fave for me
Awesome lore stuff
Character arcs going hard
IF Kuro 3 delivers on the story this may be the series' best arc
Made Swin a series fave for me
Awesome lore stuff
Character arcs going hard
IF Kuro 3 delivers on the story this may be the series' best arc
a very unique Trails game compared with the other games. Kuro arc keeps pulling bold move after bold move and i am seated for it i think this game was very great and very overhated not for everyone but definitely for me
i think people complain about the wrong issues in this game. while there are some cons here and there the pros outshine the cons by a mile i enjoyed this thoroughly and i liked what they did with the whole routes thing
the coolest final fight in the whole series so clear of everything before it. new tweaks to the new combat system making it even better than the near-perfect one we already had. completely new form of storytelling
as a whole, this was a wonderful game
i think people complain about the wrong issues in this game. while there are some cons here and there the pros outshine the cons by a mile i enjoyed this thoroughly and i liked what they did with the whole routes thing
the coolest final fight in the whole series so clear of everything before it. new tweaks to the new combat system making it even better than the near-perfect one we already had. completely new form of storytelling
as a whole, this was a wonderful game
Because it talks in the universal language of GOAT, RAW, FIRE and PEAK FICTION! I don't need subtitles for that! That's universal! Also Van Arkride still clears that bum Rean Snoozer
peak fiction
also act 3 is good you cowards
also act 3 is good you cowards
Otherwise cool ideas bogged by being rushed out.
Coming off of Kuro 1 which was one of my favorite in the series and set up for this game PERFECTLY, this is the most disappointing sequel I’ve ever played
Starts off super strong with possibly the best prologue in the series, then moves on to a pretty good but not amazing act 1&2 but at this point I was having a lot of fun esp with the marchengarten.
Fragment has the best story content so far but also so much filler and bs that it’s not fun to play through, and my most hated thing in the game starting at the end of it.
Act 3 is genuinely probably the worst experience I’ve had playing RPGs. The writing and everything else in this act is dogshit and it goes on for 20-25 hours, which is longer than acts 1&2 combined, and ends super anti-climaticly and without really explaining a lot of stuff. Also ruined a characterI previously loved. Irredeemably bad for any game, let alone Trails
Finale is mostly side content and another anti-climatic end. The final fight itself is actually probably the best in the series but it’s not that exciting because the context of fight is just bad.
Some other non-story complaints
Combat system is literally copy paste from Kuro 1 with the addition of ONE new mechanic, which is pretty cool, but also a change to how S-Crafts work which I really do not like, also every enemy has fear and deathblow and that shit is so bad in this game, makes so many fights straight up unfun when your entire party gets hit with an ailment in the same turn and you can’t do shit.
Shard skills system is exactly the same as it was in Kuro 1, no new mechanics, no new quartz, no new skills. The system and quartz selection was very bare-bones in Kuro 1 but I let it slide because it was the first implementation of the system and up to this point every Trails game would make great improvements to the system to flesh it out to perfection.
Marchengarten is also just there with the most forced story relevance in the most minor way possible. Would have been better if it was actually just completely optional.
The characters being good in Kuro 1 is what saves this game from just being completely horrible
Starts off super strong with possibly the best prologue in the series, then moves on to a pretty good but not amazing act 1&2 but at this point I was having a lot of fun esp with the marchengarten.
Fragment has the best story content so far but also so much filler and bs that it’s not fun to play through, and my most hated thing in the game starting at the end of it.
Act 3 is genuinely probably the worst experience I’ve had playing RPGs. The writing and everything else in this act is dogshit and it goes on for 20-25 hours, which is longer than acts 1&2 combined, and ends super anti-climaticly and without really explaining a lot of stuff. Also ruined a characterI previously loved. Irredeemably bad for any game, let alone Trails
Finale is mostly side content and another anti-climatic end. The final fight itself is actually probably the best in the series but it’s not that exciting because the context of fight is just bad.
Some other non-story complaints
Combat system is literally copy paste from Kuro 1 with the addition of ONE new mechanic, which is pretty cool, but also a change to how S-Crafts work which I really do not like, also every enemy has fear and deathblow and that shit is so bad in this game, makes so many fights straight up unfun when your entire party gets hit with an ailment in the same turn and you can’t do shit.
Shard skills system is exactly the same as it was in Kuro 1, no new mechanics, no new quartz, no new skills. The system and quartz selection was very bare-bones in Kuro 1 but I let it slide because it was the first implementation of the system and up to this point every Trails game would make great improvements to the system to flesh it out to perfection.
Marchengarten is also just there with the most forced story relevance in the most minor way possible. Would have been better if it was actually just completely optional.
The characters being good in Kuro 1 is what saves this game from just being completely horrible
PEAK FICTION
this game is really bad
This game carried so many many expectations on my end, and well having fully beat it I can say it pretty much met all of them and surpassed most.
I'll try to segment this so it's easier to follow and offer general thoughts on the series and game at the end.
The gameplay is the best in the series, MG is a great addition but gets pretty boring down the line as these dungeons usually do. TRC at least had cooler bosses but more of Kuro II gameplay is never a bad thing.
The music, I prefer not to speak about
The visuals and performance somehow both improved despite this being an updated version of Kuro 1's engine? and I played on a PS4 slim so good job falcom for making the game even more optimized, cinematic and well directed.
The side quests are easily the best in the series, this game focuses on all of the cast as much as it can so it's inevitable. The connect/bond events are among the best for sure, dunno if this was necessarily my favourite set overall but a perfect batch regardless.
The character writing is brilliant, the main cast gets widespread damn near perfect focus and a great inspection into them while adding a lot of meaningful development to most. The side cast is focused on equally well, brilliant stuff everywhere.
Alright arghhhhhhhhhhhh this game is such a fucking blast, it feels like a festival if you're invested in the series/kuro. The stretch from act 1 to intermission is legendary. Not a single dull moment or lackluster scene, everything goes full steam at building up this game's themes and characters. Which is a point I wanted to get to, this game is probably the most centered around its themes after Hajimari/The 3rd in the series, which is really surprising. The narrative is also super character driven, and despite being so big it rarely fails to be great. Also fun to note that this game is equal parts sequel to Hajimari as it is to Kuro in my opinion, so if you love those games, not loving this is impossible. Act 3 is a weird case, while I love the amount of payoff it gives to certain characters, and the side character focus is pretty damn good, it runs for too long for its own good and the narrative developments are a bit icky. Regardless, one of the best parts in the game. The hate is pretty funny, I understand why though I just disagree. The finale is a great chapter, rather short but the connect events and ending are perfect. Wish certain characters showed off more in the finale but it's fine even if they didn't. The DLC update leaves so much in air in a good way.
That said this game offers a lot, there's tons of setup and elaboration on past events. The character work as I said is immaculate. And it's nearly perfectly paced outside Act 3. But the way it drives home the theme of sins, your past and where and who you are in this world, acting like a thematic sequel to Kuro/Hajimari while adding its own new grounds that Kuro 3 will hopefully tread effortlessly. The lore bits are so fucking rewarding, the picture they are painting is something I genuinely cannot wait to see. It gives enough to be satisfied and want more. And generally its tendency to resolve stuff across the series while adding more to it is great. Despite being a game so indulgent in its own happenings.
As a last note, THAT FINAL BOSS IS THE FUCKING BEST A TURN BASED GAME WILL EVER HAVE MECHANICALLY UOHHHHHHHHHHHHH I LOVE YOU KONDO (I still prefer certain other boss fights in the series narratively)
I'll try to segment this so it's easier to follow and offer general thoughts on the series and game at the end.
The gameplay is the best in the series, MG is a great addition but gets pretty boring down the line as these dungeons usually do. TRC at least had cooler bosses but more of Kuro II gameplay is never a bad thing.
The music, I prefer not to speak about
The visuals and performance somehow both improved despite this being an updated version of Kuro 1's engine? and I played on a PS4 slim so good job falcom for making the game even more optimized, cinematic and well directed.
The side quests are easily the best in the series, this game focuses on all of the cast as much as it can so it's inevitable. The connect/bond events are among the best for sure, dunno if this was necessarily my favourite set overall but a perfect batch regardless.
The character writing is brilliant, the main cast gets widespread damn near perfect focus and a great inspection into them while adding a lot of meaningful development to most. The side cast is focused on equally well, brilliant stuff everywhere.
Alright arghhhhhhhhhhhh this game is such a fucking blast, it feels like a festival if you're invested in the series/kuro. The stretch from act 1 to intermission is legendary. Not a single dull moment or lackluster scene, everything goes full steam at building up this game's themes and characters. Which is a point I wanted to get to, this game is probably the most centered around its themes after Hajimari/The 3rd in the series, which is really surprising. The narrative is also super character driven, and despite being so big it rarely fails to be great. Also fun to note that this game is equal parts sequel to Hajimari as it is to Kuro in my opinion, so if you love those games, not loving this is impossible. Act 3 is a weird case, while I love the amount of payoff it gives to certain characters, and the side character focus is pretty damn good, it runs for too long for its own good and the narrative developments are a bit icky. Regardless, one of the best parts in the game. The hate is pretty funny, I understand why though I just disagree. The finale is a great chapter, rather short but the connect events and ending are perfect. Wish certain characters showed off more in the finale but it's fine even if they didn't. The DLC update leaves so much in air in a good way.
That said this game offers a lot, there's tons of setup and elaboration on past events. The character work as I said is immaculate. And it's nearly perfectly paced outside Act 3. But the way it drives home the theme of sins, your past and where and who you are in this world, acting like a thematic sequel to Kuro/Hajimari while adding its own new grounds that Kuro 3 will hopefully tread effortlessly. The lore bits are so fucking rewarding, the picture they are painting is something I genuinely cannot wait to see. It gives enough to be satisfied and want more. And generally its tendency to resolve stuff across the series while adding more to it is great. Despite being a game so indulgent in its own happenings.
As a last note, THAT FINAL BOSS IS THE FUCKING BEST A TURN BASED GAME WILL EVER HAVE MECHANICALLY UOHHHHHHHHHHHHH I LOVE YOU KONDO (I still prefer certain other boss fights in the series narratively)
Crimson Sin Review - tldr any kingrecon video
A year has gone since kuro no kiseki released and won both veterans fans that grew wary of Cold steel and others such as myself who wanted to see something fresh but still in line with what the series is about.
Of course, questions were left in the air with certain characters and plot threads which a lot of the fandom grew intrigue and started anticipating for the next game. Anticipation was through the roof and people thought Crimson Sin would answer everything.
Why am I saying this at all? Because I think it's best to talk about how I anticipated kuro 2 compared to my peers or other people in the fandom. Going in with barely any expectations I felt gave me more to enjoy and appreciate. I dodged a lot of the promotional material as I wasn't finished with the first game which may have been a life saver somewhat.
This game wasn't gonna solve everything nor is it even "filler." A lot of the complaints originally felt hollow and just meaningless as majority of the reviews came a day after release with half baked summaries from chinaman stream.
These comments feel as if they detract heavily from what kuro 2 was meant to be about from day 1 and how much it feels like an achievement for Falcom in my eyes atleast. It's the most interesting game to me just from how it's structured and took from the best game in the series with a route structure.
The game focuses on the eight genesis after all, a plot line brought forth by the first game and left a mystery since the ending after collecting the 7th genesis. Development to characters such as quatre, risette, swin, renne, feri and so forth and with some of the best moments in the arc thus far that feel integral to the arc as a whole are brought up. Hajimari is consistently brought up and this game feels like a continuation of a lot of the ideas, character stuff and more.
My vision of what Crimson Sin was going to be felt more in line with what was given to me with way more twists and turns that I had thought. It felt nice to play a trails game without knowing spoilers and twists. Intermission was an example of this, what a fucking chapter.
Was I satisfied? Hell yeah even would go out to say this is in my top 2 games in the series because of how much I think I love from the gimmick of this game, the mystery, antagonist roster, side quests so on and so forth.
Though, my biggest praise to this game is the main gimmick, god that was so much fucking fun. Yeah, there maybe some actual funny usages of it but a lot of the time I really loved it.
As I said earlier, it's character moments are so well done and emotionally hit me in the feels, with it also being the point where I feel the Arkride Solutions group grew on me so much and the overall Calvard cast might be my personal favourite as of right now.
Would I say its perfect? Damn near outside of a bit of act 3 which I feel has may have been given too much flack and has been exaggerated in terms of criticism I feel. Of course, I understand some complaints but people saying it ruins the game for them feels funny to me. I'm not gonna sit here and say "I know its flawed blah blah blah" fuck off. I don't care. I really loved the act after all.
LGC points matter less here because of the emphasis on the main gimmick which I understand but really want them to be used next game as how kuro 1 was.
Theres also the music, which I enjoyed a lot but some may also feel inclined to say it doesn't work well. There's a few used tracks from kuro 1 but this is so normal for falcom so it's become a really whatever comment as I loved that soundtrack. (Yeah Kill me I love singa!!! Woooo singa yeah!!!)
Cutscenes have probably jumped up in quality for me, some of the best usage of them thus far in the arc. One especially went crazy and caught me off guard.
Final boss... yeah that shit probably the best one no doubt. It uses EVERYTHING at it resources and doesn't fail to make you blind sided at moments.
Though I think I haven't been as vocal on how much I love this arc, feeling as my thoughts may feel a bit more regurgitated, this game turned it up a notch. Falcom is trying their hardest to put a lot of new ideas into these games which works so well. I want to see what they do next.
Side note, I can't wait to replay this. Probably more to praise whenever I do get to it.
Update : Some really interesting stuff was shown and left off really nicely,
"To be continued... KURO NO KISEKI FINAL CHAPTER."
A year has gone since kuro no kiseki released and won both veterans fans that grew wary of Cold steel and others such as myself who wanted to see something fresh but still in line with what the series is about.
Of course, questions were left in the air with certain characters and plot threads which a lot of the fandom grew intrigue and started anticipating for the next game. Anticipation was through the roof and people thought Crimson Sin would answer everything.
Why am I saying this at all? Because I think it's best to talk about how I anticipated kuro 2 compared to my peers or other people in the fandom. Going in with barely any expectations I felt gave me more to enjoy and appreciate. I dodged a lot of the promotional material as I wasn't finished with the first game which may have been a life saver somewhat.
This game wasn't gonna solve everything nor is it even "filler." A lot of the complaints originally felt hollow and just meaningless as majority of the reviews came a day after release with half baked summaries from chinaman stream.
These comments feel as if they detract heavily from what kuro 2 was meant to be about from day 1 and how much it feels like an achievement for Falcom in my eyes atleast. It's the most interesting game to me just from how it's structured and took from the best game in the series with a route structure.
The game focuses on the eight genesis after all, a plot line brought forth by the first game and left a mystery since the ending after collecting the 7th genesis. Development to characters such as quatre, risette, swin, renne, feri and so forth and with some of the best moments in the arc thus far that feel integral to the arc as a whole are brought up. Hajimari is consistently brought up and this game feels like a continuation of a lot of the ideas, character stuff and more.
My vision of what Crimson Sin was going to be felt more in line with what was given to me with way more twists and turns that I had thought. It felt nice to play a trails game without knowing spoilers and twists. Intermission was an example of this, what a fucking chapter.
Was I satisfied? Hell yeah even would go out to say this is in my top 2 games in the series because of how much I think I love from the gimmick of this game, the mystery, antagonist roster, side quests so on and so forth.
Though, my biggest praise to this game is the main gimmick, god that was so much fucking fun. Yeah, there maybe some actual funny usages of it but a lot of the time I really loved it.
As I said earlier, it's character moments are so well done and emotionally hit me in the feels, with it also being the point where I feel the Arkride Solutions group grew on me so much and the overall Calvard cast might be my personal favourite as of right now.
Would I say its perfect? Damn near outside of a bit of act 3 which I feel has may have been given too much flack and has been exaggerated in terms of criticism I feel. Of course, I understand some complaints but people saying it ruins the game for them feels funny to me. I'm not gonna sit here and say "I know its flawed blah blah blah" fuck off. I don't care. I really loved the act after all.
LGC points matter less here because of the emphasis on the main gimmick which I understand but really want them to be used next game as how kuro 1 was.
Theres also the music, which I enjoyed a lot but some may also feel inclined to say it doesn't work well. There's a few used tracks from kuro 1 but this is so normal for falcom so it's become a really whatever comment as I loved that soundtrack. (Yeah Kill me I love singa!!! Woooo singa yeah!!!)
Cutscenes have probably jumped up in quality for me, some of the best usage of them thus far in the arc. One especially went crazy and caught me off guard.
Final boss... yeah that shit probably the best one no doubt. It uses EVERYTHING at it resources and doesn't fail to make you blind sided at moments.
Though I think I haven't been as vocal on how much I love this arc, feeling as my thoughts may feel a bit more regurgitated, this game turned it up a notch. Falcom is trying their hardest to put a lot of new ideas into these games which works so well. I want to see what they do next.
Side note, I can't wait to replay this. Probably more to praise whenever I do get to it.
Update : Some really interesting stuff was shown and left off really nicely,
"To be continued... KURO NO KISEKI FINAL CHAPTER."
2 years of waiting to this and i'm so glad the wait paid off so hard to me. Kuro 2 is another 50/50 games in terms that you either like it or completly hate it.
Which is completely understandable considering the situations behind on this game both story/circustances of releasing
Kuro 2 is the most rewarding game for an player that has been through the beginning of the series and pays off so much for going through especially in Intermission/Finale
Nothing to me gives me more joy than seeing the old party members from Haji and seeing the interactions with the new cast.
Trails series has always been part of my life for the past 3-4 years and i've been always glad to keep continue playing/reading these games, it always keeps giving me a joy to keep going through in the moments in my life.
Kuro 3 waiting room
Which is completely understandable considering the situations behind on this game both story/circustances of releasing
Kuro 2 is the most rewarding game for an player that has been through the beginning of the series and pays off so much for going through especially in Intermission/Finale
Nothing to me gives me more joy than seeing the old party members from Haji and seeing the interactions with the new cast.
Trails series has always been part of my life for the past 3-4 years and i've been always glad to keep continue playing/reading these games, it always keeps giving me a joy to keep going through in the moments in my life.
Kuro 3 waiting room
if u dislike this game the series aint for u
Quatre
if you don't listen to morons who formed their opinions on this game based on a redditor's description of what their friend told them happened in the game from immediately after it was first machine translated you will find that actually this game is peak
i have so much things i want to say about this game, from how it focuses more on the cast to the things that happened in the final battle. but i think i'll get exhausted from trying to write a good piece of review discussing all that so all i'm gonna say is i love this game so much. the little minigames they added + stealth and hacking stuff really made me love the game more than i thought it will. i wish they keep the vibes in kai if not better. long live the imperial picnic squad !
One of the many amazing games in this series once again. The complaints about this game being filler and utterly not progressing the story forward is just stupid as it focuses on the inner plot of the story that started when the beginning of the Calvard arc started and it would be stupid to not assume it helps progress the story forward especially when you finish Kuro 2 Finale and the Post Game Chapter. It's a simple answer to people saying this game does nothing which is that it focuses on the eight genesis and the problems that come with it. This game does a lot of character development which is a lot for the only second game in this arc and lays out Calvard and helps us see us almost every location on how this place thrives and the culture around it. Having played this game fully now, this is definitely one of the best games in the series, including the finale which is one of the best in the series. And to talk about that post game content of that scene, exciting stuff coming forward for us.
"To be continued... KURO NO KISEKI FINAL CHAPTER."
"To be continued... KURO NO KISEKI FINAL CHAPTER."
Oh man, where do I even begin with this one.. there's so much to adore here.
Right off the bat, the gameplay's probably the most fun it's been in the series for me - there's some questionable bosses with an overreliance on egregious status effects (the Trails classic, honestly) but the gameplay loop itself has come such a long way.
The newly added Quick Arts during Field Battles to give casters a bit more oomph on the field and Ex Chains to punish stuns with during Command Battles have made the combination of Field and Command battles an absolute blast, rewarding you with incredibly fast-paced normal encounters as long as you use Field Battle properly. It feels great!
But that's not what I'm here for - the thing that has made me such a massive Trails fan that I'd play through a whopping twelve (god, we're really at TWELVE already?) of these games is it's massively expansive world and casts, and that continues to be absolutely fantastic in this game, which I'm absolutely over the moon about.
Kuro 2 picks up the story themes of Kuro 1 incredibly well - where nearly all of the Spriggans are dealing with grief in one way or another and are slowly, but surely, learning to appreciate the precious present for what it is despite it all. And god, does this game nail that aspect. Including Swin and Nadia into the Spriggans, the fabled Three and Nine who have certainly got more than enough grief left to unpack was an absolutely genius idea. They blend into the cast SO well, and the way this game ties a bow on their character arcs is easily my favorite thing about it.
I loved em a lot already, and I didn't think I could love em even more. They're easily some of my favorite characters, not just within Trails itself; and this game added to that feeling tenfold.
Beyond them, it picks up the character arcs of the regular Spriggan cast really well too, and the newly-included villains add a lot to it's themes in that regard as well. Absolutely no notes on it's story, it's fantastic.
I've heard a lot of complaints about Act 3 before jumping into it myself which made me expect the worst but honestly I didn't.. really mind it, at all?
It's definitely where the game starts running out of steam and relying on old assets more than it did before (which is sadly not surprising when it came out only a year after the original) so it's definitely a case of making the most out of what it's got but man, it definitely pulls that off in my opnion.
I think having a long, drawn-out chapter making you aware of how much the connection you have with pretty much every single NPC you've come to love across these two games is great, actually! It makes it all the easier to appreciate what the game's going for, and I love the way it's handled that.
It's such a feel-good game for me.
Bittersweet, but it really makes me appreciate everything I've got going for me currently despite what it took to get here; and being able to resonate with this bizarre family of misfits like that has been such a blast.
It's just a genuinely great time and a perfect reminder as to why I love this series so damn much.
Right off the bat, the gameplay's probably the most fun it's been in the series for me - there's some questionable bosses with an overreliance on egregious status effects (the Trails classic, honestly) but the gameplay loop itself has come such a long way.
The newly added Quick Arts during Field Battles to give casters a bit more oomph on the field and Ex Chains to punish stuns with during Command Battles have made the combination of Field and Command battles an absolute blast, rewarding you with incredibly fast-paced normal encounters as long as you use Field Battle properly. It feels great!
But that's not what I'm here for - the thing that has made me such a massive Trails fan that I'd play through a whopping twelve (god, we're really at TWELVE already?) of these games is it's massively expansive world and casts, and that continues to be absolutely fantastic in this game, which I'm absolutely over the moon about.
Kuro 2 picks up the story themes of Kuro 1 incredibly well - where nearly all of the Spriggans are dealing with grief in one way or another and are slowly, but surely, learning to appreciate the precious present for what it is despite it all. And god, does this game nail that aspect. Including Swin and Nadia into the Spriggans, the fabled Three and Nine who have certainly got more than enough grief left to unpack was an absolutely genius idea. They blend into the cast SO well, and the way this game ties a bow on their character arcs is easily my favorite thing about it.
I loved em a lot already, and I didn't think I could love em even more. They're easily some of my favorite characters, not just within Trails itself; and this game added to that feeling tenfold.
Beyond them, it picks up the character arcs of the regular Spriggan cast really well too, and the newly-included villains add a lot to it's themes in that regard as well. Absolutely no notes on it's story, it's fantastic.
I've heard a lot of complaints about Act 3 before jumping into it myself which made me expect the worst but honestly I didn't.. really mind it, at all?
It's definitely where the game starts running out of steam and relying on old assets more than it did before (which is sadly not surprising when it came out only a year after the original) so it's definitely a case of making the most out of what it's got but man, it definitely pulls that off in my opnion.
I think having a long, drawn-out chapter making you aware of how much the connection you have with pretty much every single NPC you've come to love across these two games is great, actually! It makes it all the easier to appreciate what the game's going for, and I love the way it's handled that.
It's such a feel-good game for me.
Bittersweet, but it really makes me appreciate everything I've got going for me currently despite what it took to get here; and being able to resonate with this bizarre family of misfits like that has been such a blast.
It's just a genuinely great time and a perfect reminder as to why I love this series so damn much.
I had fun with this since I love calvard and its cast, but nowhere near as good as Kuro 1, falcom really need to stop pumping out rushed games with a year dev turnaround. Finished the game feeling pretty unsatisfied, and I really hate what they're doing with the love triangle. The plot was kind of all over the place too, I often felt like I understood what they were going for, but couldn't bring myself to actually care due to the weird execution and bizarre pacing (especially act 3, which sure is an... experience). On the positive side, there's some great character content, and the gameplay/QoL is significantly improved from Kuro 1. Hopefully Kuro 3 will return to the writing quality that Kuro 1 had, assuming Falcom don't rush that one out too.
Also kinda weirded out by how few sidequests (that weren't monster quests) and connect events there were here, it felt like they ran out of time to do much of that in the second half of the game.
Also kinda weirded out by how few sidequests (that weren't monster quests) and connect events there were here, it felt like they ran out of time to do much of that in the second half of the game.
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
PS:THE GAMES IS SO PEAK THAT EVEN TRANSLATED IN GOOGLE TRANSLATE WITH ERRORS IS STILL THE PEAKEST OF PEAK
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
Peak Fiction
PS:THE GAMES IS SO PEAK THAT EVEN TRANSLATED IN GOOGLE TRANSLATE WITH ERRORS IS STILL THE PEAKEST OF PEAK
Greatest of all time. Zenith of the medium. Hallmark of media. Gold standard of storytelling. Apogee of creativity. Vertex of invention. Crest of ingenuity. Acme of imagination. Pinnacle of innovation. Epic of epics. Legend among legends. Peak fiction.
Despite some things in Act 3, I totally love this game. While I don't think it's as good as Kuro no Kiseki, It's still a great sequel, and I love the greater focus on characters. The Kuro Cast was already one of my favorites, but with this game, the characters grew even more on me.
The gameplay was also fantastic, and I really liked the additions to the battle system.
Overall, I can say that while Kuro no Kiseki II isn't perfect, I still really love this game, and I think the good parts definitely outweigh the bad parts of the game. The Calvard Arc is certainly my favorite Kiseki/Trails Arc, and I'm eagerly excited to see how it continues.
The gameplay was also fantastic, and I really liked the additions to the battle system.
Overall, I can say that while Kuro no Kiseki II isn't perfect, I still really love this game, and I think the good parts definitely outweigh the bad parts of the game. The Calvard Arc is certainly my favorite Kiseki/Trails Arc, and I'm eagerly excited to see how it continues.
oh boy i cant wait to hear more of 🅱️inga's masterpiece
