The developers at Falcom are unique in that they have always simply done their own thing when it comes to their games. Both the Ys series and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Legend of Heroes series have been around for a while and still haven’t quite found the same recognition as 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Final Fantasy, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dragon Quest, or 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the Tales of series.
However, that doesn’t seem to matter to these developers, as they seem to be perfectly comfortable doing what they've always done best — creating their own fan-pleasing sagas, even if that means they only appeal to a much smaller and niche audience. It’s thanks to this mindset that 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:fans of JRPGs have one of the most incredibly developed worlds in gaming at their fingertips🦋 with this particular franchise. However, stepping into a universe as deep and well-established as t🧸his one can be as daunting as it is amazing.
10 Best: It’♛s Part Of One The Most Epic Stories In Gaming
As mentioned above, Falcom seems to be more than happy creating their own stories and putting their own twists on the usual cliches of fantasy tales and RPGs. The Trails seri🌸es is certainly no different in that regard and may be one of the most ambitious RPG sagas in gaming.
The series found an audience in the West with the first of a trilogy in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Trails in the Sky, which released on the PSP and the PC almost a decade ago. The saga continued with the Trails of Cold Steel series and other titles that have yet to be relea𝓀sed in the US or Europe. Each and every title has managed to find a way to be interconnected, and much of that comes to a conclusion in this title.
9 Worst: It’s Held Back 🥂By Its Own Legacy
Unfortunately, everything that makes the Trails series unique in terms of its story (which spans several games) can also work against it. Die-hard fans of the series will always claim that while the Trails of Cold Steel series is still a great starting point for new players, gam🍨ers should seek out other games in the series in order to fully appreciate it.
♉This m♛eans that gamers will not only need to play the Trails in the Sky trilogy but also find the fan-translated episodes in the Crossbell arc, which consists of Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki. That’s a big ask of even the most dedicated RPG fan with a lot of spare time on their hands.
8 Best: Fantastic Character D🐻evelopment
For those gamers that have stuck with the series as a whole or even started with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Trails of Cold Steel III, they will remember that the character development in the series is unmatched. Even though it may seem that the character follows practically every known JRPG cliche to a fault, the characterization possesses levels of relatability an𓂃d depth that will ultimately surprise the player.
The characters have grown and changed over the course of four games, and their development has been both realistic꧅ and relatable. Like any good series, gamers will feel a connection to the characters that countless other RPG titles struggle to deliver.
7 𝔍 Wor✃st: The First Act
This fo🐠urth entry in the series was originally part of the third game in the series, and the events of this entry begin just two weeks after the cliffhanger ending of Trails of Cold Steel III. Unfortunately, the first act seems to follow the previous entries’ tradition of ﷺstarting very slowly.
However, it would have been wiser for the developers to ke🍒ep the momentum going after a cliffhanger to keep its players on the edges of their seats.
6 ෴ Best: Unrivalled World Building
It’s true that there are other RPGs out there with much bigger budgets and better graphics, but very few ꦺgames can compare to the series when it comes to world-building. Even without playing the previous entries in the series, each game does an amazing job of creating a believable world that's teetering on the cusp of a civil war.
The world is also absolut🎐ely packed with intriguing NPCs. All of them possess their own interesting backstories that can sometimes have connections to the previous games or other NPCs that have made cameos in the past.
5 Wor﷽st: The Visuals Are Very Last Gen
The visuals are a big step up from the first two games in the Trails of Cold Steel series, which were originally PlayStation Vita ports. However, both Trails of Cold Steel III and IV look distinctly like PS3 games when compared to the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Final Fantasy VII Remake or Dragon Quest XI.
In addition, the characters look a little doll-like at times, and the backdrops can seem a bit low-res at certain junctures. But as any 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:die-hard JRPG fan is well aware, the story is where it counts — and the visuals 🦄are more than acceptable when they're combined with such an incredibly emotional and compelling story.
4 🔜 Best: The Politically Charged Storyline
It’s easy to state with absolute confidence that Trails of Cold Steel IV is a game for the fans. As a result, the way everything comes together will feel farܫ ꦜmore impactful to them than they would to a newcomer.
The character’s motivations and the surprisingly poignant political storyline are as emotionally♏ charged as they can possibly be. The stories of suppression, political 🅰divides, and working-class revolts feel exceptionally relevant without ever becoming preachy, and players will no doubt become emotionally invested in the proceedings.
3 Worst: Some Pacing Issues �🍬�
As mentioned above, Trails of Cold Steel IV is bafflingly slow in its opening few hours. Unfortunately, the pacing the issues remain througho♔ut the game as a whole in the later chapters too.
The game can feel bogged down by some rather excessive e💛xposition at times. Furthermore, just when the pace seems to be picking up players will find themselves backtracking and revisiting locations far too often and slogging their way through some🎉 seemingly endless dungeons at the most narratively inopportune times.
2 𒀰 Best: An Epic Con๊clusion
Trails of Cold Steel IV is where everything comes together for fans that started with the Trails in the Sky trilogy. One wouldn’t be surprised if the developers took some inspiration from 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the Marvel Cinematic Universe when considering the way everything came together at the end of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Avengers: Endgame.
There will be lots of surprises and familiar faces making an appearance in the game’s epic conclusion. It’s also worth mentioning that despite the pacing issues mentioned in the game, Trails of💙 Cold Steel’s final act is incredible and the game’s sense of urgency leading up to its final moments is impactful and exciting.
1 Worst: Overly Long Cutscenes 🅺
Complaining about a game’s long cutscenes when it comes to a series that focuses on s🀅tory✤ and world-building may seem a little silly — and for most fans, it will be. However, for those that may have stepped into the series this late in the game, the cutscenes may feel somewhat excessive.
Even by JRPG sta🌜ndards the cutscenes and the conversations between characters really can feel like a little too much and it certainly do𒐪es impact the game’s pacing throughout.