Vyx
2017
I got just over halfway through the game, the story was enjoyable, the characters were fun, the main issue is that all the boss-fights I encountered were just too tedious. Might come back eventually and finish it on easy difficulty to see where the story ends up but for now I've other games I want to focus on.
2021
Finished the main story but will pick up again eventually to platinum.
If you're playing this game for the gameplay then this ain't it.
However, if you're playing this game for the characters and the overall story then I would say it's a very enjoyable experience. The character designs of the all the main cast are wonderful. Not to mention the music in all the areas is top-notch and I enjoyed every song.
I would also suggest to ignore all the side quest causality links, you quickly start to notice they just repeat through multiple students anyway and I never found I needed any of the rewards they gave to complete the story.
TL;DR: The gameplay gets repetitive and you quickly over level the enemies so you can just spam A to win in fights. However, the overall story, character stories and music make this a well-worth game to experience.
Oh, also, buy the game when it's half-price like I did. I think £45 for this game is a bit too much but felt like the £20 I paid was worth it for the enjoyment I got out of it.
However, if you're playing this game for the characters and the overall story then I would say it's a very enjoyable experience. The character designs of the all the main cast are wonderful. Not to mention the music in all the areas is top-notch and I enjoyed every song.
I would also suggest to ignore all the side quest causality links, you quickly start to notice they just repeat through multiple students anyway and I never found I needed any of the rewards they gave to complete the story.
TL;DR: The gameplay gets repetitive and you quickly over level the enemies so you can just spam A to win in fights. However, the overall story, character stories and music make this a well-worth game to experience.
Oh, also, buy the game when it's half-price like I did. I think £45 for this game is a bit too much but felt like the £20 I paid was worth it for the enjoyment I got out of it.
I really liked the soundtrack, however, I found the story unmemorable and the characters uninteresting. Although that might just be because I didn't vibe with Elena and found her rather annoying...
If I wanted to play a game in this engine again I would just re-play Ys Origins instead of playing this one, however the combat was also the only saving-grace of this game.
For the length of the game being roughly 9-10 hours, I can't complain too much about having my time wasted as there wasn't much time to waste.
3 stars for the great soundtrack and enjoyable combat, however, if you'd rather a game in the same engine with more compelling story/characters then play Ys Origins instead.
If I wanted to play a game in this engine again I would just re-play Ys Origins instead of playing this one, however the combat was also the only saving-grace of this game.
For the length of the game being roughly 9-10 hours, I can't complain too much about having my time wasted as there wasn't much time to waste.
3 stars for the great soundtrack and enjoyable combat, however, if you'd rather a game in the same engine with more compelling story/characters then play Ys Origins instead.
2013
This is the first ever puzzle game I've managed to complete without once looking at a guide (in my defence I don't play many puzzle games) - was just the perfect level of difficult for me!
2011
This game was as "okay" as you can get.
I didn't feel like there was really anything to take away from this game... I was thinking there would be a "the life you lead was the best life you could have had" but no.
Still, I can't say I regret playing this game as it's so short anyway.
I didn't feel like there was really anything to take away from this game... I was thinking there would be a "the life you lead was the best life you could have had" but no.
Still, I can't say I regret playing this game as it's so short anyway.
I really, really enjoyed the experience this game provided.
I think the thing I have to praise the most is the environments, you can tell so much thought went into the creation of this world and the environments are just breath taking, coupled with the dynamic music that changes between night and day.
I thoroughly enjoyed both the characters and the story. The interactions between characters mostly left me smiling, and although cliché; the twists and turns still had me gasping in disbelief.
I recommend this game for anyone who wants that quintessential JRPG experience. I don't think you can get more JRPG than this game. Excited to move onto XC2 and eventually XC3 when that releases!
I think the thing I have to praise the most is the environments, you can tell so much thought went into the creation of this world and the environments are just breath taking, coupled with the dynamic music that changes between night and day.
I thoroughly enjoyed both the characters and the story. The interactions between characters mostly left me smiling, and although cliché; the twists and turns still had me gasping in disbelief.
I recommend this game for anyone who wants that quintessential JRPG experience. I don't think you can get more JRPG than this game. Excited to move onto XC2 and eventually XC3 when that releases!
This was a short, fun and compact experience.
I enjoyed spending time with Shulk and Melia again as well as being introduced to Kino and Nene.
The stand out of this short DLC would be how dense the new zone is. There's plenty to explore and makes the base game zones feel overly large and barren in comparison.
Was a very nice self-contained story and was a nice epilogue to Melia's character arc in particular.
I enjoyed spending time with Shulk and Melia again as well as being introduced to Kino and Nene.
The stand out of this short DLC would be how dense the new zone is. There's plenty to explore and makes the base game zones feel overly large and barren in comparison.
Was a very nice self-contained story and was a nice epilogue to Melia's character arc in particular.
2013
A really fun premise as well as a really nice noir-esque environment.
Unfortunately the platforming is rather janky and there's not much substance to the game.
However at roughly 2.5 hours to complete I would say it's worth the play if you're ever bored for an evening.
Unfortunately the platforming is rather janky and there's not much substance to the game.
However at roughly 2.5 hours to complete I would say it's worth the play if you're ever bored for an evening.
Kinda pretentious and I figured out the story well before the end which left the ending feeling kind of flat..
Still it's only an hour long so not much time spent.
Still it's only an hour long so not much time spent.
I feel like this game fell slightly short of XC1 DE. The cast of characters, although loveable (especially Zeke and Pandoria, they stole the show for me) did not hit me quite as hard as the semi 'found family' trope with the cast of XC1. This might just be due to the slightly less serious nature of the characters and story, though.
The environments have a lot more depth to them in exploration than those of XC1, however I do feel like XC1 still wins in the pure design of the areas.
The music, again, is phenomenal and I never got bored of a piece.
The story... Even though I only finished the game yesterday, if you asked me to tell you what the story was about I would only be able to give you vague "uhh they wanted to go to Elysium... Malos bad...." I just felt that there wasn't much substance there which was a little bit of a let-down coming off of the back of XC1. However, the way the story slowly weaves its way to connect to XC1 is wonderful and I'm very excited to play through the Golden Country DLC next and then onto XC3!
Also, blades are a cool idea but the gacha mechanic is very zzzzzzzzz, at least have a pity system.
The environments have a lot more depth to them in exploration than those of XC1, however I do feel like XC1 still wins in the pure design of the areas.
The music, again, is phenomenal and I never got bored of a piece.
The story... Even though I only finished the game yesterday, if you asked me to tell you what the story was about I would only be able to give you vague "uhh they wanted to go to Elysium... Malos bad...." I just felt that there wasn't much substance there which was a little bit of a let-down coming off of the back of XC1. However, the way the story slowly weaves its way to connect to XC1 is wonderful and I'm very excited to play through the Golden Country DLC next and then onto XC3!
Also, blades are a cool idea but the gacha mechanic is very zzzzzzzzz, at least have a pity system.
This DLC was 1000x better than the base game.
The improved combat feels so much more fluid, coupled with the more stream-lined UI made this experience the ultimate XC2 experience. It makes the base game look slow and clunky in comparison.
The side quests felt as though they had a lot more meat on their bones and the story gave me more emotional investment than the base game.
I had such a wonderful experience with the DLC and it's a shame that some of the QoL changes weren't added to the base game such as the collectables telling you what you will get from collecting at that spot.
A must-play if you even remotely enjoyed the XC2 base game.
The improved combat feels so much more fluid, coupled with the more stream-lined UI made this experience the ultimate XC2 experience. It makes the base game look slow and clunky in comparison.
The side quests felt as though they had a lot more meat on their bones and the story gave me more emotional investment than the base game.
I had such a wonderful experience with the DLC and it's a shame that some of the QoL changes weren't added to the base game such as the collectables telling you what you will get from collecting at that spot.
A must-play if you even remotely enjoyed the XC2 base game.
Absolutely loved this game.
The characters and their "forced together because we're in the same situation" hit me the same as in XC1.
The combat was the most engaging yet, taking elements from both XC1 and XC2.
The story I was enthralled with and I loved seeing how it connected to the previous games.
This is the first game where I've finished and then immediately wanted to replay it, however I think I will hold off until all the DLC has released and then play it all again through.
A must play, especially if you've played either XC1 or XC2.
The environments and music, like the previous two games, were outstanding and breath-taking.
The characters and their "forced together because we're in the same situation" hit me the same as in XC1.
The combat was the most engaging yet, taking elements from both XC1 and XC2.
The story I was enthralled with and I loved seeing how it connected to the previous games.
This is the first game where I've finished and then immediately wanted to replay it, however I think I will hold off until all the DLC has released and then play it all again through.
A must play, especially if you've played either XC1 or XC2.
The environments and music, like the previous two games, were outstanding and breath-taking.
Giving this game 3 stars as the story (imo) was pretty weak and that's what carried this series for the past 2 games.
The 3 stars are mainly for the character interactions and how fun I find the combat.
I don't have much to say unfortunately, I'm excited to move onto the Crossbell and Cold Steel games to see how they evolve the series!
I would say overall you could probably skip this game and read a summery and move straight on from Trails Second to the Crossbell games.
The 3 stars are mainly for the character interactions and how fun I find the combat.
I don't have much to say unfortunately, I'm excited to move onto the Crossbell and Cold Steel games to see how they evolve the series!
I would say overall you could probably skip this game and read a summery and move straight on from Trails Second to the Crossbell games.
2022
I bought this game when it was 50% off on the New Year sale on PS Store.
I'm glad I bought it at half price but it still sadly felt too expensive for the experience I got.
Since I am mostly a story-driven gamer, this one fell flat. All the characters are just two-dimensional and none of them feel like they have any real drive.
The only saving grace is that once you get access to more companions and spells the gameplay is rather enjoyable.
Honestly after finishing one of the endings I have zero desire to go and play through what the other endings are just because I have 0 attachments to these characters or this story which is a real shame.
So I think I will just call it there for this game.
Overall, I wanted to really like this game, however, it is the most mid-tier game I have ever played and would only recommend you play it if you find it on sale for £20 or less and that would be the combat alone.
I'm glad I bought it at half price but it still sadly felt too expensive for the experience I got.
Since I am mostly a story-driven gamer, this one fell flat. All the characters are just two-dimensional and none of them feel like they have any real drive.
The only saving grace is that once you get access to more companions and spells the gameplay is rather enjoyable.
Honestly after finishing one of the endings I have zero desire to go and play through what the other endings are just because I have 0 attachments to these characters or this story which is a real shame.
So I think I will just call it there for this game.
Overall, I wanted to really like this game, however, it is the most mid-tier game I have ever played and would only recommend you play it if you find it on sale for £20 or less and that would be the combat alone.