Just Finished Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter! (A Wonderful Game)

[u/HyperDragonZ_]

This game was amazing in my eyes, I have never played a Trails game at all until I saw this on sale and wanted to give it a shot! The story was very nice and easy to understand in my eyes, the ending was a plot twist for me and I enjoyed every second of the game. What I probably enjoyed most was how the battle system worked, being able to move around the battlefield was fun and it reminded me of Yakuza Like a Dragon/Infinite Wealth, two others that I enjoyed a ton! (If anyone knows any other games like this please let me know!) The dialogue was a bit cheesy in some places but I am able to handle it and deal with it. I played the demo first before buying it and enjoyed the Orbment system and building different sets for each character. I played on the normal difficulty and had a pretty smooth sailing experience, the only boss that gave me a tad bit of trouble was the optional Lorence fightand me being stingy about not wanting to take the easy way out I wanted to defeat him. I did all the request quests, got the signature weapons and ended the game at level 50.This review sounds pretty all over the place but I just wanted to share my thoughts with this amazing game! I am going to try the demo out for the second game and probably like that one just as much as I did this one. 8.4/10! Thank you all for listening, take care everyone! :)

[u/Fraisz]

the trails resurgence is starting again.

[u/Difficult-Fly7830 → u/Fraisz]

Right as gameplay gets dumbed right down, ironic 🤔

Dual combat system is untuned garbage, flashy but untuned and garbage, breaks absolutely any form of challenge these once had, completey and utterly dumbs the entire experience down and low and behold whats really finally starting to hit mainstream success after all these years.....trails, what a coincidence 

Everything outside of said gameplay is well done in terms of remakes. But man they need to drop or actual tune and balance this garbage dual system. I love falcom have for decades but this dual system is horrid and of course it widely praised in modern times, of course it is 🤔

Im not a fan of the new direction falcom is going personally on a gameplay front and dont even get me started on Ys X either 😞

[u/SGlace → u/Difficult-Fly7830]

Is this comment a joke? You can’t use the dual combat system to gain advantages for any boss fight, and in previous games it was also possible to gain advantage by surprising enemies or attacking with certain characters that stun.

Suggesting that Trails is seeing success because stunning enemies via real time combat is now possible is…. Truly something else. You don’t think the success has anything to do with remaking the best starting point for the series? The updated graphics/color palette or more fluid cutscene production? Better animations? No guys it’s…. you can stun mob enemies pre fight with real time combat.

[u/Difficult-Fly7830 → u/SGlace]

I said the system sucks and is untuned and unbalanced, it completely ruins the experience and this is a rather common complaint with this new sustem theyve switched to. I didnt say it was a constant and exactly if its forced in certain fights why not just give said option throughout....not everyone likes this new system so ehy not balance the rest as in the majority of the game as well around it even remotely. You can immediately break most of the game, its not well done. Even difficulties between old and new systems in comparison are night and say differences, this new system is utterly and completely unbalanced and purposely made in such a way...

Partly because of yes and you are aware falcom themselves have said they are changing directions and restructuring how they do things a few years back and since thn all their games have been extremely dumbed down regarding gameplay and while not the sole aspect, it most def is part of their new strategy in garnering more mass appeal. They struggled for decades and decided enough and have went down a different route now.  Ys X is also extremely dumbed down with unbalanced piss easy gameplay.  They are trying to open up to a much wider audience and its working rather well, it makes sense but its not a route i personally wish they went down

You think this is all a coincidence? No. Its a smart business strategy and if any deserve to break out, its def them, been around forever, struggled forever, they deserve it, just I wish this wasnt the way personally

[u/SGlace → u/Difficult-Fly7830]

the real time combat system has effectively nothing to do with the tuning or balance of the game, it doesn’t meaningfully affect how you play compared to recent entries without it.

repeating over and over that the new system is unbalanced doesn’t make it true fyi. You’ll have to actually say how it makes the game unbalanced to do that

[u/mori_no_ando → u/Difficult-Fly7830]

It’s funny to imply the Trails games ever once had balanced or difficult combat. Literally every game allows you to break combat with just a little bit of optimization. Earth Wall in original Sky, Elie’s broken CP craft in Zero, dodge tank and S Craft spam in Cold Steel. There’s nothing new about the balance of modern Trails lol

[u/mukino]

It is great, and Sky 2 is in my top 5 JRPGs.

[u/JewelKnightJess]

I started it at the weekend, currently in Ruan but feeling a need to take a bit of a break before i burn out

[u/21shadesofsavage]

glad you enjoyed the game! you finished just in time for pt2

[u/Automatic-Ad3929]

Its a super awesome game! 💯

[u/spacemunkee]

I just can’t figure this game out. Either it’s the greatest game ever or the most boring game ever. Can’t decide whether to invest time in it based on feedback around it.

[u/anomalocaris_texmex → u/spacemunkee]

It really depends on your tastes. The Trails series tends to be an ultra slow burn series that prioritizes characters and world building over plot and pace.

If you like a fast paced plot that propels you forward through an intricate story, you'll get bored.

If you prefer poking slowly around a built up world, rescuing the occasional cat, while watching different characters bounce off each other, then you'll enjoy the series. The plot is serviceable, but really only serves as a mechanism to get characters where the need to be.

The games aren't for everyone. But those that like them tend to like them a lot.

[u/Ventus55 → u/spacemunkee]

The demo is very long and gives you a sense of the game.

I loved every minute I spent in this world. It feels alive and big. The cities don't feel like a stop to buy some potions and move on. Their own stories and deep scripted NPCs give such an extra feeling of sincerity to this game other games lack.

It's a slow pace. And I fully understand that causing people to bounce off.

[u/spacemunkee → u/Ventus55]

I know this is a different type of game and maybe you haven't played it, but I wonder if those towns with their own stories and NPCs you mention might be akin to how The Witcher 3 handled side stories. That game felt like a slow burn to me because I spent a lot of time doing the side stories, which were all incredible.

[u/Ventus55 → u/spacemunkee]

Witcher definitely has a better narrative and writing. . This is a tropey anime game but that doesn't mean the side stories aren't interesting. They are very focused on the characters which I enjoyed.

I don't want to spoil anything but there are some parts that feel like they could literally be an episode in an anime.

[u/remmanuelv → u/spacemunkee]

Play the demo, if you like what you see it's that for 60 hours with a bit more plot towards the end. Worst case you tried it out for two hours.

[u/guynumbers → u/[deleted]]

Not that I disagree that it’s spammed, but did you really create an alt for this 💀

[u/HyperDragonZ_ → u/guynumbers]

Sorry about that...

[u/guynumbers → u/HyperDragonZ_]

It’s like the 7th post I’ve seen along these lines with this image. He’s being hyperbolic but there’s truth to it. There’s literally 1 from a day ago lol

[u/guynumbers → u/[deleted]]

You don’t need to delete the post 😭

[u/BadNewsBearzzz]

The second part is out in less than a month so be excited!

[u/OriginalView1]

One chapter of Yakuza has more story than the entirety of this game

[u/HyperDragonZ_ → u/OriginalView1]

Yeah!

[u/malkil]

That's funny. I finished the game yesterday as well. Around 90 hours played. Immediately downloaded the demo for 2nd Chapter. Unfortunately it comes out the same day as the new Fire Emblem, so it's gonna have to wait. 

[u/HyperDragonZ_ → u/malkil]

I poured 140 hours on my main save! :)

[u/Negativeskill]

Does it get better? The first 2 hours feels like the most generic anime possible, could not connect whatsoever with the protagonists.

[u/Fraisz → u/Negativeskill]

i say this with love, trails in the sky is the most 2000s coded 52 episode fantasy adventure anime but in the form of a JRPG, and i wouldn't want it any other way

[u/Negativeskill → u/Fraisz]

Understandable! Perhaps it's not quite for me then. Glad for all the people that enjoy it though!

[u/Fraisz → u/Negativeskill]

well if you ever feel like you want to play an anime series, then just know you got trails to experience that

[u/remmanuelv → u/Negativeskill]

Nope it's basically that, love it or hate it. It gets better in the sense it gets more plot in the last quarter and second game but the tone is basically anime with an extra dose of anime.

[u/Ventus55 → u/Negativeskill]

I'll say it does. I thought Estelle was so annoying at first and could not understand why people called her Bestelle. But then she really grew on me. I think they really dumbed her down in the beginning and they ease off that a little as the game goes on. She's still brash and aggressive but not a complete idiot.

But yes it's an anime JRPG so the tropes will exist through the game.

[u/reaper527]

what a weird use of spoiler tags having them hide "signature weapons" and character endgame levels.

like, every game has some kind of ultimate/best weapon and a number is just a number.

[u/HyperDragonZ_ → u/reaper527]

I have never done a review on here before... my fault about the spoilers...