Sorry Uchi, I really like ya man but I was hoping for a better... or, *a* justification for the twist. It's still clever and going back to spot all the foreshadowing is fun but speaking as someone who's played most of your other work, you're definitely capable of more. Also, I did actually pick up that the flow felt off when I played, but it annoyed me more than anything else. I don't think it was a worthy tradeoff.

That aside, there are some things I really like about Ai 2. Shoma and Komeji's route was very sweet, the Somniums feel more like puzzles (generally), date is da best, the bit where Aiba threw away Lien's key was pretty raw, Lien's whole deal as a former criminal who doesn't want to be defined by that past was nice, Ryuki's mental episodes, the fact that you had to go out of your way to get the secret end, the way they tied it into the arg was cool, and the tragedy of Amame.

There's a lot of other stuff they bungled, however, other than the main twist. Lien's behaviour is creepy, though it seems like it's meant to be endearing? I didn't like what they did with Gen and Amame's relationship. Why did they decide to double down on the action sequences? (the chakra thing was nice tho). The final big action climax in the stadium was for sure something that happened.
Why did they try to make it newcomer friendly despite having a returning character as a protagonist? It made Mizuki feel static and boring, which is amazing since she was one of the better Ai 1 characters. What's with the repeated jokes from Ai 1?? Also, have I grown out of it since Ai 1, or is the writing less charming and funny? Ryuki should've been the main focus, he got shafted hard.

While I don't regret playing it, my feelings are pretty mixed overall. As a sequel, Ai 2 is more disappointing than it is bad. As Uchikoshi's latest offering after over 2 decades of writing for games, it feels like a shadow of his greater works. I just hope this was him saving his A game for something much better.

Since becoming progressively disenchanted with Uchikoshi's reliance on repurposing twists (worlds end club was a very low point) and the flaws of his "backwards writing" approach, I want nothing more than to once again feel as enthusiastic about his work as I did when I first played 999 and Ever17. Ai 1 had Uchikoshi's usual thing but it was still a very enjoyable game in spite of the meta stuff not really adding much to the story.
In a sort of reverse situation to Lien's, it feels like Uchikoshi is confined by his past successes. I know you can break out of this cycle and make something great again Uchikoshi so despite being disappointed with Ai 2, I'll still be rooting for you man.

Zero probably has my favourite vibe of all the Trails games I've played so far, and the best pacing (though still not perfect). As always, the world-building is good, the NPC dialogue impressive and the soundtrack strong. I love Crossbell city and found the political intrigue and conspiracies super interesting.

The villain's pretty lame (they pulled the same trick from Sky) and the climactic point of the game, while exciting in the moment, is honestly kind of underwhelming in retrospect. Still not bad though, just wish the final chapter lived up to its title, especially after such a long build-up. The way they tied up a loose end from Sky was appropriately emotional, at least.

While I wish there was more character drama between the SSS, I'm still really attached to them. It's pleasant that they became fast, close friends despite their different backgrounds, but that should also have provided ample opportunity for interpersonal conflict, which I think was missed. I'm not asking for these characters to hate each other, I just don't want them agreeing on things 99% of the time. Giving the SSS their own interpersonal barriers to overcome could have done a lot to show their growth as a team. I still quite enjoy their dynamic in the end, and you still see very small glimpses of how their personalities differ, though it's almost always for lighthearted purposes. I'd have also liked it if we could see SSS members talking more amongst themselves without Lloyd on screen. I like the scenes where the members individually open up to Lloyd, since it's to show he's their trusted leader, but he shouldn't be their only catalyst for character growth.

Speaking of, I felt somewhat lukewarm towards Lloyd initially due to seeming generic but he grew on me. They lampshade his optimistic protagonist-isms by teasing him and acknowledging how cheesy he can be which I liked. Him often feeling like an underdog helps a lot too. His optimism and determination in the face of a seemingly hopeless political situation hold a lot more weight, especially since he sometimes has to rely on others to help due to the SSS biting off more than they can chew. He's talented, but evidently still a rookie, which helps to ground his character and provides plenty of room for growth. I saw some of that growth in Zero, but I hope for a lot more in Azure. I also like how Lloyd is idealistic, but not to a naive degree. He's acutely aware of Crossbell's deep-rooted issues and often has to face the reality that they won't be solved without considerable patience and struggle. Lloyd's a pure good guy, which should sound boring but he remains likeable for me.

I had a good, comfortable time with Zero overall, and think the Geofront fan translation team did an excellent job. Just hope Azure is able to live up to what's been built up so far.

EDIT: lol i forgot about the gameplay. i played through it on normal. it's fun, but pretty easy. i think the only thing that gave me trouble was the final boss, other than a couple of the optional chest bosses. i don't mind the regular encounters being easy enough to blast through since these games are long enough as they are, but certain boss fights could definitely have been more difficult to better sell the threat.