This review contains spoilers
Considering it's niche status, it is impressive that the Trails series has been managing to tell a continuous story for this long. However, this is definitely the game where the weight of that can be felt, both for better and for worse. On one hand, it was neat seeing all these different plot threads from across the series begin to converge. On the other hand, this causes a lot of issues with the pacing and makes the game feel much longer than it actually is and no doubt, the more the series has plot threads converging, the more this feeling of weight will be felt.
To start with the things i don't like, Cold Steel 3 really begins to show that Falcom is honestly pretty shit when it comes to writing villains, at least in regards to this series. At least as of this game, Cold Steel 3 is peak Ouroboros bullshit and for the first time in the series, i'm genuinely confused at what the hell is it they were trying to do because it doesn't really make sense. You have two sets of villain groups, opposed to each other, except for when they aren't because reasons. Background characters from previous games that were stated to be dead make their debut in this game as villains because reasons. And then there's the worst offender: George. A character who was shown to be super friendly in the last two games was actually with the bad guys all along. Because reasons. Ouroboros and everything tangled up with them is and always will be the biggest blemish in the series.
This game also suffers from essentially being a repeat of Cold Steel 1, right down to the story/gameplay structure. Yet it feels longer than Cold Steel 1 because of all the plot threads converging and whatnot and while i was fine with the school setting in the first game, it wore out it's welcome here.
Onto the things i did like, i did enjoy seeing the returning characters grown up here. I do quite like these characters and i do enjoy seeing characters "grown up" as it gives a feeling of "look how far we've come". I also did enjoy the new characters. New Class 7 being smaller than their original counterparts definitely helped in spreading out development more easily.
Gameplay-wise, it's a fairly solid turn-based RPGs, though i do wish the Brave Orders weren't so skewed. There's a ton of them but there's a very clear difference between the good ones and the ones you'd never use. Music is nice.
To start with the things i don't like, Cold Steel 3 really begins to show that Falcom is honestly pretty shit when it comes to writing villains, at least in regards to this series. At least as of this game, Cold Steel 3 is peak Ouroboros bullshit and for the first time in the series, i'm genuinely confused at what the hell is it they were trying to do because it doesn't really make sense. You have two sets of villain groups, opposed to each other, except for when they aren't because reasons. Background characters from previous games that were stated to be dead make their debut in this game as villains because reasons. And then there's the worst offender: George. A character who was shown to be super friendly in the last two games was actually with the bad guys all along. Because reasons. Ouroboros and everything tangled up with them is and always will be the biggest blemish in the series.
This game also suffers from essentially being a repeat of Cold Steel 1, right down to the story/gameplay structure. Yet it feels longer than Cold Steel 1 because of all the plot threads converging and whatnot and while i was fine with the school setting in the first game, it wore out it's welcome here.
Onto the things i did like, i did enjoy seeing the returning characters grown up here. I do quite like these characters and i do enjoy seeing characters "grown up" as it gives a feeling of "look how far we've come". I also did enjoy the new characters. New Class 7 being smaller than their original counterparts definitely helped in spreading out development more easily.
Gameplay-wise, it's a fairly solid turn-based RPGs, though i do wish the Brave Orders weren't so skewed. There's a ton of them but there's a very clear difference between the good ones and the ones you'd never use. Music is nice.