(Scores are for my own purposes and aren’t trying to be objective, and are subject to change as I add more to my list)
So, Trails of Cold Steel. My first game in this series, and I had mixed feelings going into it, not being sure what to expect. I ended this game completely sold on playing ALL the games in this franchise.
I came to this accustomed to Atlus’ SMT/Persona style of turn based JRPG. The first thing that took getting used to was the fact that you could move around the field and that positioning, formation and ranges were important parts of battle. At first I found it daunting, but once I got into the groove of things, it was really satisfying using my pary members to fulfill different roles, with tanks drawing enemy aggro, healers in the back etc.
The combat system is also extremely versatile. You can “link” characters together to enable followup attacks and other useful abilities. As the game goes on, this ability strengthens and becomes even more versatile.
The spells in this game are known as Arts, and are determined by the quartz system. Its great since it essentially allows you t completely respec your characters arts on the fly at any time, by rearranging and redistributing quartz amongst party members and in conjunction with your typical selection of different accessories, weapons and and armour.
Characters also have innate abilities known as Crafts, which can be used based on a separate gauge which automatically charge up. At 100-200 craft points, you can use an ultimate attack, which can be used to interrupt enemy attacks. Useful when the enemy is about to take a critical hit turn, but you steal the turn for yourself! They’re also extremely fun.
Different turns sometimes have different buffs or debuffs that apply to whoever takes that turn, which adds another layer of tactic to the game, which I love.
Another thing I liked about the gameplay loop is that, for narrative reasons, half of the areas force you to create a party from half of your classmates, which means you are forced to learn each characters niches. From a narrative standpoint, it also allows the characters to develop their own arcs without following the trope of the entire group going through the exact same experiences.
The narrative is also amazing, however this game is ultimately just buildup to the second game. But my god is it worth it. All the worldbuilding in this game feeds in massively to the next games’ arc. All the different factions you meet, and the references to the events of other games which happen concurrently make the world and story very rich and lived in. Narratively, this franchise is ambitious with its scale.
For this game specifically though, it does follow a fairly rigid structure of going on a field study in a various region, solving one of your classmates personal issues, then exploring the dungeon at school and doing some quests and events on your free days
This game is very tropey however. Plenty of typical anime highschool hijinks as the backdrop for this political narrative. I think it gives the game a certain charm however, pretty reminiscent of some 00s anime. Thankfully the overarching story is pretty good, with amazing setup for future games, many games become super tropey without any substance.
Without the final few hours/cliffhanger ending, my score probably be a bit lower since the entire game is set up for something much larger. Still well worth my while, because that ending is one hell of a rush though.
So, Trails of Cold Steel. My first game in this series, and I had mixed feelings going into it, not being sure what to expect. I ended this game completely sold on playing ALL the games in this franchise.
I came to this accustomed to Atlus’ SMT/Persona style of turn based JRPG. The first thing that took getting used to was the fact that you could move around the field and that positioning, formation and ranges were important parts of battle. At first I found it daunting, but once I got into the groove of things, it was really satisfying using my pary members to fulfill different roles, with tanks drawing enemy aggro, healers in the back etc.
The combat system is also extremely versatile. You can “link” characters together to enable followup attacks and other useful abilities. As the game goes on, this ability strengthens and becomes even more versatile.
The spells in this game are known as Arts, and are determined by the quartz system. Its great since it essentially allows you t completely respec your characters arts on the fly at any time, by rearranging and redistributing quartz amongst party members and in conjunction with your typical selection of different accessories, weapons and and armour.
Characters also have innate abilities known as Crafts, which can be used based on a separate gauge which automatically charge up. At 100-200 craft points, you can use an ultimate attack, which can be used to interrupt enemy attacks. Useful when the enemy is about to take a critical hit turn, but you steal the turn for yourself! They’re also extremely fun.
Different turns sometimes have different buffs or debuffs that apply to whoever takes that turn, which adds another layer of tactic to the game, which I love.
Another thing I liked about the gameplay loop is that, for narrative reasons, half of the areas force you to create a party from half of your classmates, which means you are forced to learn each characters niches. From a narrative standpoint, it also allows the characters to develop their own arcs without following the trope of the entire group going through the exact same experiences.
The narrative is also amazing, however this game is ultimately just buildup to the second game. But my god is it worth it. All the worldbuilding in this game feeds in massively to the next games’ arc. All the different factions you meet, and the references to the events of other games which happen concurrently make the world and story very rich and lived in. Narratively, this franchise is ambitious with its scale.
For this game specifically though, it does follow a fairly rigid structure of going on a field study in a various region, solving one of your classmates personal issues, then exploring the dungeon at school and doing some quests and events on your free days
This game is very tropey however. Plenty of typical anime highschool hijinks as the backdrop for this political narrative. I think it gives the game a certain charm however, pretty reminiscent of some 00s anime. Thankfully the overarching story is pretty good, with amazing setup for future games, many games become super tropey without any substance.
Without the final few hours/cliffhanger ending, my score probably be a bit lower since the entire game is set up for something much larger. Still well worth my while, because that ending is one hell of a rush though.