Best starting entry, best main cast and probably one of my favorite protagonist of all time already as well. I think one of the biggest reason Kuro works is that it's desperately the type of game Trails needs, overtime even though I fucking love Trails there definitely has been many problems and tropes especially in the Cold Steel that did bugged people including me. While Kuro definitely isn't perfect it does take steps to improve on that while still keeping all the elements of a Trails game that I came to love. The new combat system got bad responses upon release but I actually really like the field + shard system, Hajimari and Cold Steel 4's battle system was already great and almost perfected so it was hard to see where it could go from here. They implement mechanics and different quartz system which is fresh and I could see being really fun in the future.
One of the coolest things in the story is how they utilize the wide cast of characters and world building. Van being someone "who walks in the realm of bluish-black" like he said is already someone familiar with the way the world works, making connections with pre-existing and new parties along the story culminating in one of the most fun chapters at the end I had in a while. I love every single one of the main party cast introduced, Agnes and Aaron definitely being my fav, the way everyone of them offers something to the group dynamic is so good and I can't believe I'm already as attached to them as I am. The story gets a bit slow around Chapter 3 and 4 but man everything else is peakkkk. Almata aren't the best group of villains ever but they certainly did their jobs and all had a memorable narrative role. The whole ending section really was a journey, me making this far into it and putting countless hours, was definitely worth the grind, seeing the conclusion to Van's character arc in this story was really an indescribable feeling and one of the reviews here goes more details into it (damn I can't believe I actually managed to write all this without mentioning much major spoilers lol)
Tldr 10/10 top 1 in fiction I'm done.. but if they make Kuro 2 and future games better than this and Hajimari it's fucking over man
One of the coolest things in the story is how they utilize the wide cast of characters and world building. Van being someone "who walks in the realm of bluish-black" like he said is already someone familiar with the way the world works, making connections with pre-existing and new parties along the story culminating in one of the most fun chapters at the end I had in a while. I love every single one of the main party cast introduced, Agnes and Aaron definitely being my fav, the way everyone of them offers something to the group dynamic is so good and I can't believe I'm already as attached to them as I am. The story gets a bit slow around Chapter 3 and 4 but man everything else is peakkkk. Almata aren't the best group of villains ever but they certainly did their jobs and all had a memorable narrative role. The whole ending section really was a journey, me making this far into it and putting countless hours, was definitely worth the grind, seeing the conclusion to Van's character arc in this story was really an indescribable feeling and one of the reviews here goes more details into it (damn I can't believe I actually managed to write all this without mentioning much major spoilers lol)
Tldr 10/10 top 1 in fiction I'm done.. but if they make Kuro 2 and future games better than this and Hajimari it's fucking over man