It took a whole day to render, but it's finally done! Hope you guys enjoy it! First of all, a massive thank you to everyone who allowed me to work with them to make this happen, you guys are awesome:) AvengerMags - Writer for Nintendo Force Magazine - twitter.com/NintendoForce LadyVirgilia - Trails / Persona RUclipsr - ruclips.net/user/LadyVirgilia FebruaryNight4 - Twitch Streamer and RUclipsr - www.twitch.tv/februarynight4 Alex (Backlog Battle) - RUclipsr - ruclips.net/user/BacklogBattlefeatured Tyler - Host of The Kiseki Cast - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kiseki-cast/id1465953496 DarkPhoenix_69 - Twitch Streamer - www.twitch.tv/darkphoenix_69 Francesco - Mod of 'The Falcom Lounge' - facebook.com/groups/599656367370826 Secondly, a couple of updates, initially about the video itself. It's something that I've been working on for just over a month now, and I intended it to be a retrospective come celebration of the Trails series. I realise that a 'celebration' of the series is probably a bit soured now considering what's occurred very recently, but I'm not going to let the actions of a third party influence this videos release. I love the series too much to let something like that hold it back. Finally, tech issues (yaaaay, and the reason it took a whole day to render as opposed to 2 hours) - I sent my new build off to a place more suited for testing since there's only so much I can do in a small space, and in its place I've been using my laptop as a substitute. It's done well, but my goodness I just want my main rig back now... Said rig has been gone for about 2 weeks, and during that period it's been pushed to its limits and running 24/7 on top of that - it hasn't had one issue since it left. So the supposed good news is that there's actually not an issue with the components, and if all tests go well tomorrow it'll be sent back to me. The bad news is that it suggests there is something else in my setup which is potentially tripping the whole thing, but that hopefully will just be a case of trial and error to figure out - for example one of the USB devices I use could be the root cause. I'll keep you guys up to date as always, but I just can't wait for it to be over.
@@jmporkbob i honestly am not sure mate. But the simple fact is that it's run for nearly 2 weeks 24/7 at a very high load and it hasn't tripped. And they checked the PSU and couldn't see any problem with the voltage, so that suggests that it's something in my own set up that's causing the problem. I'll have to see if I get it back this week.
Kiseki but why has falcom given nis the localization to kuro only for nis to delete the fan patch but nis is doing nothing only to let another group translation the crossbell arc what is going on why is falcom letting this continue
"A new Trails game doesn't just represent a new title in the series. It represents the opportunity to revisit a second home." Well said my friend. Love and appreciate your work!
This video made it hit me how crazy it is to think that Zero’s global release is only 2 weeks away now. I remember just starting Cold Steel 2 last year when I heard that Falcom announced Geofront would assist in making an official translation. I’m so excited to see the story of Crossbell leading to Cold Steel 3 unfold!
Can't wait.i played cold steel 1 thru 3 but then 4 really needed the Crossville arc so I waited for that,so im gonna play the Crossville arc then go thru the trails again...we have years so might aswell lol
@@holy9781 i applaud your patience. I went straight from 3 to 4, and I feel like my second play through after Crossbell will be much better with some added context. To my knowledge Azure is the next upcoming release sometime in Spring 2023, so luckily you won’t be waiting too long
@@mordor2594 Cold Steel 1 or Trails in the Sky FC are the current best points of entry, with either being a good way to enter the series for different reasons. If graphics matter to you and you’re looking for a bit of a school slice-of-life style to keep you interested in the beginning, I’d start with Cold Steel, but if you prioritize plot depth and would like to experience the series in release order, then I’d recommend starting with Sky (the first quarter of the game is a bit of a slow burn, however). All in all it’s a “different strokes for different folks” kinda deal.
I couldn't wait for the official releases of the Crossbell games...I had finished the Sky trilogy and had Cold Steel 1-4 already waiting on my shelf. Luckily I got some legit Asian copies and the Geofront translations before they removed them. You're in for a heck of a ride with the Crossbell games, I can see why many rank them their favourite!
What an incredible piece of content this is, TKN. You really outdid yourself in this one and I was glad to be a part of it. All the best going forward, man.
It's crazy that only a year after this video, Trails through Daybreak has been announced, the Crossbell games have been released (with some bumps upon release) and Reverie has been released. After DayBreak, we will only be 1 mainline game behind, it's been a great year for Trails fans.
Leave it to TKN to deliver the story of a company and their projects in such a way to make me cry while listening. Honestly thank you for educating me on Falcon’s history. It really is eye opening and (in a really cheesy way) I can relate them to their own characters like Lloyd, getting over those barriers no matter how high. I got into Trails a year before the pandemic. I was on a high of MMOS and shooters and wanted to get back into rpgs. I looked up good tbrpgs and I saw a video of cold steel 2 where Rean is fighting that you know what right at the beginning of the game when he’s in that town. I wasn’t super sold be eh gave it a try. I was immediately gripped by the story, finishing cold steel 1 and 2 and going to play 3 when I was told by some friends that there’s SO many other games in the series I’d want to play first. Then the pandemic hit and I said why not, played through each entry 1 after another and even the fan translations (and emulations) of Zero and Azure. I never truly felt so warm playing a game because the world felt so lived in and real that it was hard to ever really stop playing lol to this day Trails is my all time favorite series and it’ll forever live rent free on my head.
I’m on a similar path. Watched the first episode of the anime and was interested and then saw in the comments this was set between CS 2 and CS 3. So put the anime on hold and started playing CS 1 and got hooked. I’ve just started CS 2 and realized how big the series actually is so I’m planning to go back and play the Liberal and Crossbell arcs before going back the CS games. Awesome thing is the official translations are all releasing so I’ll get to play through all of those.
I can tell that you had to get over some barriers yourself in order to produce this beast of a Trails documentary, thank you and all contributors very much! I will never forget how I stumbled upon Sky FC and Ys Origin on GOG in the mid 2010s, picking them up on a whim, not knowing that this developer will eventually become one of my highest appreciated devs of all time, even challenging 90s Squaresoft. I'm glad to see some high quality passion content like this video here and there. There are some annoying loud voices inside the Falcom fanbase, but I'm always happy to see the other, positive side of the coin.
As fandoms grow, we'll always see the good and bad sides. It's on us to decide which one we want to engage with. I'm fine with critiquing the faults of the series and I can understand the frustrations, but I also don't want that to take over the love I have for it either.
I can thank this series for my Laura Arseid simping obsession 😂😂😂 Regardless it’s honestly become one of my favorite series up there now rivaling kingdom hearts
You did a fantastic job encapsulating and delivering a long history of Trails games into a meaningful success story. I am late to the party you might say. I recently finished the masterpiece that is Trails in the Sky SC, am about to start Sky the 3rd and have preordered both Crossbell western releases and have all Cold Steel games for afterward. What an impressive series this is. This is a well worth the 45 minute time investment. Falcom is legendary, there is no doubt in my mind. Thanks TKN!
@@MiamiSunrise The 3rd definitely is. In regards to the central narrative it's considered "weaker" than the other entries, but as for it's side narrative (the doors), it is easily one of the strongest points in the series. This is simply due to how many plots it sets up.
@@sanane66543 Are you afraid they'll run out of digital copies or something? Or were you just hoping to get an early dopamine hit from the purchase itself.
Thank you for making this video. It's not an understatement to say that this series has changed the way I view games forever, and hearing about the backstory I didn't know about was very fun and informing. I almost feel bad about my incessant complaining about the wait for localization with all the struggles they went through... Almost.
The Trails series has become my favorite RPG franchise; it's fantastic. And the YS series is also great; I've only played Ys VIII, which became my third favorite game of all time (thanks to Dana Iclucia and her story arc), and Ys Origins, which is fun to play and has an interesting story and character develpment. Nihon Falcom is they new beacon for RPG lovers.
@@sanane66543 I have it on the radar and I'll definetely buy it. I heard that YS IX improves the gameplay over that of Ys VIII, and that its characters have a stronger development than those of YS VIII; about this last point, I can believe that the game's cast may be much better than that of YS VIII, collectivelly, but I find it hard to believe that, individually, there's a better character than Dana Iclucia.
Fantastic job illustrating Falcom's history in the JRPG and video game scene at large. Trails is such a fascinating franchise. Trails attempts to undertake a grand narrative in a way unseen in gaming and is incredibly successful in doing so. Everything from the characters, to the world building, to the narrative itself, everything is done so deliberately yet so brilliantly. The gameplay is so addictive and the music... the MUSIC is absolutely masterful. The atmosphere and tone from each entry is done so beautifully, and it's particularly thanks to the OST. For example, Trails from Zero goes from being a police detective, going case from case, to what suddenly leads you to this bizarrely hunting temple. The entire tone shift from before you go into the temple to after with Gnosis being introduced shortly after is very eerie. Or the complete atmosphere shift in Heimdallr from Cold Steel I to Cold Steel III, and the implications that has on the current situation between the 2 year span in the timeline. It's such a thrill that very few games or pieces of media can produce- let alone replicate. I love every single entry in this franchise, so it's very difficult to choose between the 9 (soon to be 10 in 2023 and eventually 11 and 12 hopefully by 2025) entries. If I were to have a Top 9 of what I favor most, it would generally be something like: 1. Trails to Azure 2. Trails of Cold Steel IV 3. Trails from Zero 4. Trails of Cold Steel I 5. Trails in the Sky SC 6. Trails of Cold Steel III 7. Trails of Cold Steel II 8. Trails in the Sky the 3rd 9. Trails in the Sky FC Amongst the Top 6 are interchangeable depending on how I feel or what conditions I'm ranking the under. For instance, I enjoyed CS3 immensely. Arguably even more SC and Zero in certain respects, but I decided to rank it lower than them due to certain circumstances/how I feel at the current moment.
Ahhh this was such a good video! I'm so thankful I got to take part in it. Thanks so much again for the opportunity. And absolutely excellent work as always! Also the lady I was talking about in my clip about NPCs is a noble woman in Grancel. She takes up fishing because her husband keeps leaving her to go on fishing trips, and she becomes better at it than him. It was such a funny arc, and I kept visiting her to see it play out. I believe she also gives you a fishing rod at some point too. Not sure if anyone else remembers her? 🤣 But Annabelle and Estelle are also fishing queens as well. It just goes to show how many cool characters these games have, both big and small. 🤩
I remember her, I was also following that plot closely I really enjoyed it!!! Yeah fishing in this world seems about as crazy as the card games get in Cold Steel - everyone wants to be the best!
Thank you for taking part Mags, and for specifying who it was! I tried to rack my brain when I heard you mention her, but couldn't figure it out in the end.
@@TheKisekiNut It's easier to remember her as the second opponent Estelle faces during the 3rd's dreaded fishing game. The woman who challenged Estelle in the sewers and wouldn't leave until the two had an angler duel? That was Norche.
14:13 I don't remember her name, but in Grancel there's a guy who's a government employee that was barred from the castle during the 'event' which took place during the endgame of FC. With no work he would go fishing all day, which annoyed his wife to no end because she felt he was ignoring her. So, to get back at him she started going out fishing and subsequently became enthralled and earned herself a position in the upper echelons of the Grancel Angler's guild. One thing I really like about the combat is how different it is from other Turn Based RPGs. The fact that it's a mix of tradition Turn Based JRPG and Turn Based Strategy is something I really appreciate. With regards to the bonding events, they remind me a bit of the Heart to Hearts from Xenoblade Chronicles, small character moments that help to develop the characters and their relationships with one another. Though in those games they could be moments between any party members, not just the main character.
Seriously good sir. VERY GOOD WORK. As an old hand at the series myself, I've just sent your video out as a newer updated starter care pack for new players. Saving me alot of convincing of the latter.
Amazing work to put this video project together TKN! It was great to learn more about the origins of the series back in the 80's and 90's and also hear from some of my other favorite content creators. I think DarkPhoenix said it perfectly that the Trails series really feels like a family that you come home to whenever I do a playthrough of a game. I'm so excited to replay the Trails from Zero later this month and all future localizations of this amazing series. Thanks again for the great video!
I feel homeless right now. Nearly 3 months from beating Sky 3, waiting for Zero to release. Seems like an accomplishment, a world so fully realized you feel sad when you're no longer in it
@@drowningin have you got a chance to take at the supplemental materials yet? theres a couple of mangas and drama cds to check out in preparation for Zero if you haven't already. each arc has a few and they are referenced in game. you should be able to find them on youtube or by googling them.
fantastic video essay on the series, TKN! I agree it feels like a second home. I also loved all the guest participants from other channels and mediums, and I looks forward to checking out their platforms!
This video was sensationally well made and as a die hard fellow Trails fan thank you for creating content about a series that means the world to me and so many others.
It has been a joy to listen to this. I really can feel the passin you have for the trails series. I for one become a fan just because i am bored and decide to try trails in the sky in the psp and whoa and behold now just finished tocs 2 across different platforms. Its really a privelege to play this game and hopefully will come a day that trails have a worldwide release on same time
Fantastic video! I've been counting the days till Zero's release and now I'm even more excited. It was great learning about the history of Falcom and the older Legend of Heroes games. I knew about some of the issues of the localization of the sky arc (including the darker side of things) but seeing it detailed like that was interesting. Thank you for this!
I love hearing about Falcom’s early history. I can only imagine what it was like in the 80s when they had the physical store and the game company seemed to grow organically from interactions and relationships established there.
I think trails of cold steel 1 really brought in a lot of fans in the west, the amount of people who have come in from cold steel is insane I'm one of them and I've just played through the sky arc and I'm waiting for the zero to carry on the journey forward. and just from completing the sky arc my entire perspective of cold steel 1 has changed and I'm gonna have to replay the game when I finish the Crossbell arc. It's insane....
I always recommend CS1 as a good starting point, because that's where I started. I know for a fact that if I tried to stick it out with FC then I wouldn't be here today.
I think so too. And CSI despite it being less highly regarded by influencers is probably a better starting point than FC. I personally like it a lot though I liked CSIII a lot as well (haven't played Reverie though). Liberl can always be played after CS without you feeling missing much. In fact apart from some moon doors in the third (technically two with Ouroboros and anoither with Osborne/Olivert, the rest is character background) I don't think anyone will be particularly lost without playing the first 3. It's a shame we had to wait so long for Crossbell though as it ties more to the CS story. But there's light flickering dimly at the end of the tunnel as of writing...
@@yojimbo26 Yap I agree I'm waiting for the crossbell games so I can play them and then replay CS1 and start the rest of the CS games!! It's going to be a good couple of months :D
@@TheKisekiNut This is true i started FC and its good but I felt it was a lot slower then CS for me but SC and 3rd made the first game worth it in so many ways. its amazing to see how good Falcom are at setting up a world and continuing to build it...
Expertly made video, TKN. This series means so much to me and you did an amazing job of compiling it’s history. I can’t wait to play Zero for the first time in a couple of weeks.
Wow!! To say that this was a fantastic video would be an understatement. The kiseki nut, you have an incredible ability to narrate, summarize and make your videos absolutely entertaining and engaging. This was so good, I'm going to watch it again right now. I have played the first three Trails games, but have yet to dabble in either the Cold Steel arc, or the Zero and Azure duology. This makes me want just start from the beginning and play them all just to experience the world in its entirety. Anyway, keep the great content coming brother. We appreciate you. Your channel certainly deserves WAY more views and subs then it currently has.
This was a nostalgic trip for me, I remembered getting FC back as a kid it blew me away. It left a big cliffhanger and almost forgot about the series picked the game up once again in college when I saw SC and 3rd on the shelves. fast forward today and having played Sky, Crossbell and Erebonia I am now eagerly waiting for Reverie and Nayuta Calvard is still a long time but I am satisfied on the release schedules that we got right now compared to 1st - SC which was a very long time
Incredible video, really appreciate the hard work that went into this. I haven’t played Trails in a while but this makes me want to revisit the series. My laptop died when I was playing the Geofront Azure patch and I never got around to continuing on my new PC. I just wish the handheld versions had turbo mode cause it’s practically standard for me.
Thanks for the docu. I feel sorry for the translator. Someone within the company, should have used programming to convert the CSV to spreadsheet. You can do it with a few lines of python code... It would have taken a few minutes, not 2 months.
Other than the ending being a tad bit ubrupt (which come on I'm being nitpicky here) excellent video mate. Amidst the drama of the current situation I'm still extremely hopeful for the future games and hope more positive attention has been brought to light and strengthen the numbers in the west where our voices will make that difference and (hopefully) close that gap
I wanted to keep the video mostly based around the games that I know a fair number of watchers would have played. Zero and Azure thus made the cut there - I didn't really feel there was much point going too in depth with Reverie or Kuro considering they're still a ways off coming West.
@@spironan it was to explain the abruptness of the ending. Some people felt I should have looked in to the future of the series, but I didn't see a point outside of giving them a brief mention as I intended this to also be mostly spoiler free outside of vague story references here and there.
Really love this game. Thankful I got to play the first game thinking it was the best graphics at that time. Always gives a chll when hear Joshua's Harmonica < 3
Great work on this, it's really well put together and interesting! And a nice touch including a few comments from other Trails fans (thanks, btw!). It's still kind of strange to think of how so many of us stumbled into this franchise, only to become totally engrossed. I only found it because I was trying to find good JRPGs on PSP, and was somehow lucky enough to find the greatest.
Fantastic Job on this upload mate. Took a lot of work I am sure. Love the trails series especially sky and crossbell series and found this fascinating. Excellent upload. SO SO happy that crossbell is finally officially making it west. Got both those lovely switch limited editions preordered. Great time to be a trails fan!
Oh man I really really appreciate this video! I remember playing Sky1 on my PSP and being completely engrossed by the story, and as soon as I was done I did a quick search to see when the second game would be coming out. I was crushed to find out it was probably not coming out. I remember looking for new info almost on a weekly basis until it was announce to be coming out on steam. Finally playing sky2 was one of the most gratifying experiences I’ve ever had the pleasure of going through. Thanks for this video!
I discovered the Trails series and Falcom with the PC release of Cold Steel 1, i thought it was just your typical JRPG at first but boy was i wrong.... I remember waiting so hard for Cold Steel 2 wanting to know what was next :D currently playing the Sky trilogy (on SC now) and i can't wait to get my hands on Trails from Zero ! Thank you Falcom for making those amazing games and stories !
I'm still going through the process of figuring out how far back I should go on the legend of heroes before starting, and it doesn't make it any easier knowing that the PC88 and PC98 games looked and sounded like that. at one point I had several dragonslayer and legend of heroes games stuck on my hard drive, only to get sidetracked by xenoblade
Yeaaaaah, just jump in to Trails. The older titles don't have a connection to outside of the Legend of Heroes name. If you enjoy Trails, you can always go back and check out the earlier entries.
Awsome video. Trails is my favorite video game series and I patiently await reverie and the calvard ark in English. Emphasis on patience cause I don't want Nis America to crunch for the release of those translations
This is a special video for sure I think everyone would be glad that you did not let recent events hold back on this video. If Anything I think people especially from the Kiseki Community who watch this will have gained perspective on why things are the way they are for trails in the west and east. Its definitely something most trails fans won't understand about localisation in general especially for smaller Japanese companies. But man on a personal note I had never really thought that trails had so much development/translation hell in the beginning I think every person should think how crazy it is that we even got to experience the series at all even. Some real hero saves from people who worked on the localisation for these games. I hope you look back at this and feel proud especially with how many people you ended up collaborating within the kiseki community to create this. While kiseki may hold a special place in a lot of our hearts we must understand every video game series / ip journey is different. Appreciate the content!
At first, I thought of playing Trails in The Sky to test waters and didn't expect much due to graphics last 2019. However man did that prove me wrong ; By the time I saw the interactions between Estelle and Cassius, not to mention the fact that each npc and as if literally everything in the game had life into it, I immediately knew I would love the Kiseki franchise and be a diehard fan. Im someone who loves to read novels, manhwa, manhua and manga so Falcom writing Kiseki's plot to how it s, really just makes the series more appealing to me. Now from starting in Sky, currently in Kuro chapter 3 without missing a single detail in every game ( other than some of those hidden quests in Crossbell arc lmao ) and waiting for a fan translation to finally make its way towards me for Crimson Sin. PS: Salute to you m8 for making such a wonderful overview about Kiseki, I didn't even know the localization issues were that bad.
While you can arguably skip crossbell, Sky is quite a bit more required reading. You have to go in with the understanding that to outsiders Erebonia is basically the "bad guys".
Awesome vid man, this is truly a unique and magical series that's hard to describe in a way. Also glad to see you putting best girl up at the end there xD
What a wonderful video and excellent job you did! Trails of Zero came yesterday in the mail but had Zero (sorry but pun intended!) idea what kind of history, struggle and work it took to bring it to my front door yesterday. Man, I feel like this is going to be a wild ride!
Thank you for this history. I have loved your content about the Trails series. I started with Cold Steel 1 on the PS3. I enjoyed it but felt like I was missing something. I was excited and bought the 2 Crossbell games. I started Trails from Zero and was hooked. I just finished Azure. As I was completing it, I really wanted to play the series from the beginning. I bought a Steam Deck and purchased 1st 3 games. I'm about to start this series from the behinning. I currently own all 10 games either on Switch or Steam. Now I will play them all portably in order. I'm very excited. Thank you for helping to build my excitement.
So I was just watching a video and have been wanting to get into the series, and I was looking for a video like this when autoplay brought me straight here. Thank you.
Good job with your video as always! Yeesh the wait for Sky SC was grueling around that time. When Akiba’s Trip 2 released in 2014 for PS3 and Vita there were ADs for Cold Steel inside the game which made me salty as all hell.
I really liked this video the first time I saw it, but now seeing it after playing through Reverie and halfway through Nayuta I can see how boundless trails wasn't meant to completely tie into Trails. It was meant to show that there is a world out there past Zemuria, and that the pre Trails installments have a rich history that should be respected. Now I want to play the early installments
I remember reading most of the quoted articles from the devs and localizers live at the time of posting, especially that stuff about SC2's translation. I even remember coming up with the idea of crowdfunding for them to hire more translators but by that time they didn't wanna risk the quality of the game so they had decided to just handle it slow and steady.
Trails is a experience that I only had with Mass Effect back in the past. IT is a franchise that started like a child with a lot of dreams to fulfill, reached a conflicted and torture path but finally break through them and see the light. That is why for me that their most significant soundtrack and the ones who fits them more in this franchise are "Whereabouts of Hope/Light" and "Get over the barrier". That... because they had to do both to grasp that completely unexpected hit. We could argue which arc is the best, which characters are the best ones which are the worst arcs etcera. But we could all agree on one point: *If they tried to do something that (apparently) wasn't do before at this level of depth, they succeed it. Considerating how this was such a HUGE bet.. they endured it and they are seeing their results*. That being said, maybe someday this could be called one of the best JRPGS *FRANCHISES* of all time. I don't know if that could happen.. but it wouldn't be an exaggeration if that happens.
Trails will have a legacy regardless of if it flops going forward. You can argue Yakuza would come in to the mix, but in terms of a fantastical interconnected world, nothing comes close to Trails, and it'll likely stay that way.
This video is very interesting to learn about the history of the legend of heroes: Trail series. I remember buying trail of the sky FC on steam and I had fall in love with it, and when i saw the second is coming out on steam, i just bought it right away. I never knew it was the translation was the main reason why it take so long to release the game to the west. I am very glad that crossbells story is getting the translation so everyone can play the game (I already play in on PC with fan translation), the story is so good. I think we may get the The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki in 2024, I just hope Falcon take a small break from the legend of heroes, they are releasing every year! Allow the west to catch up, please!
Their approach for Cold Steel worked. It was the first one I bought and played. After I finished I immediately bought Trails in the Sky and was hooked.
Really enjoying this more documentary style of video! You do a great job, here and in the Xenoblade video, of synthesising a lot of information and presenting it in a way that makes sense and is easy to follow. It's a tricky thing to do, but you really make it look easy!
Something that the Trails/Legend of Heroes/Ys series have done great to this day is how they subvert typical JRPG cliches without being to forcible nor too gimmicky. The hero doesn’t always end with the heroine, the loud brawler has his calm and pensive moments, and the villains sometimes have sympathetic reasons for their fall from grace. One thing that sets Trails apart from Bandai-Namco Tales games is the top-tier compositions from Falcom’s sound team, with a decades long reputation. It’s funny how the first Legend of Heroes wasn’t much different from Dragon Quest until it’s sequel gave the series an out-of-nowhere sci-fi twist.
Crazy though that i went to buy the crossbell arc on Playstation store and its not on the new games section and there was no advertisement (at least not in the states). Got worried that it wasn't coming out, but was able to find in in the search tab. I know its just a reboot of an old game but if they want better sales in the west i think they need to do better. Love the trails games and the channel. Appreciate all the content bud
I'm looking forward to Trails to Azure next month, literally a week after my birthday no less. Talk about an awesome birthday present. This series drew me in with cold steel, though, if I want to be fully technical, another game similar in a way also done by XSEED, Tokyo Zanadu, was the pivot from a friend of mine that dragged me in. I did stop myself however when I realized I could go back to Trails in the sky and now Zero and Azure, so I've yet to complete CS4. I'm looking forward to getting the full story now, as I will have played the entire line by time I go back to Cold Steel.
I just recently started going through the Trails series. Originally I started with Cold Steel I, but never got past the Nord section early in the game. It felt somewhat clunky to play, and the repetitive nature of the gameplay loops didn't do it any favors. A month or so ago, I decided to actually start from the beginning with Trails in the Sky, and push myself through whatever I came into contact with - whether good or bad. Turns out, I feel it is now imperative that in order to enjoy the series, you _must_ start with the Sky trilogy, followed by the Crossbell trilogy. The reasons being: the gameplay evolves much more naturally, instead of just changing radically with Cold Steel, and secondly I had to literally stop playing Cold Steel IV after several hours due to the sheer amount of Crossbell spoilers just in the first chapter of the game. When I originally looked up what order to play the series in, it was always "Trails in the Sky 1-3, Cold Steel 1-2, Crossbell 1-2, then Cold Steel III-IV". However, due to the localization delay on Azure, this simply wasn't an option this late in the game, and I had to go into Cold Steel III and IV without having played Zero or Azure. This made my experience with Cold Steel III and part of IV feel incomplete and just plain terrible. CSIII eventually gets much better, but the lack of knowledge of who Juna is made me feel slightly ticked off; not to mention the fact that all the characters I enjoyed were now essentially "guests" with no real story behind them, and Rean now being the sole character that has any merit whatsoever. You eventually get accustomed to Juna, Kurt, Ash, Musse, and Altina, but the sheer lack of connectivity between CSII and CSIII's characters makes it a hard left turn to get used to, and this takes hours to adjust to knowing you will never really play as the original class VII ever again after CSII. Their presence in CSIII is iffy at best, and their complete lack of characterization in CSIV - despite being there from the start - makes the whole thing feel rather hollow. Once I found myself getting spoiled out the wazoo for Zero and Azure, and subsequently stopping to play Zero, I found myself greatly enjoying the story again. To the point that I literally bought the Japanese version of Azure and pirated the Geofront localization. So it is my opinion that the Kiseki series needs to be played in order of release instead of the sliced and diced suggestion recommended everywhere the question is asked. Any other way will ruin certain story beats permanently, and you can't go back to _not_ knowing Mirabell's deal once you've played twenty minutes of CSIV where Estelle, Joshua, Lloyd, Elie, Renne, and KeA literally spell out the entire plot line up to that point in _the_ most clunky way imaginable. However, my single greatest issue with the series so far is the treatment of Class VII throughout Cold Steel's plot. They're built up so much in the first two games then just tossed into cameos in favor of the "new" Class VII/Rean-focused narrative. Rean is a great character, but he only really shines when he's around his original squad mates. Making him the teacher of a new Class VII with an entirely different focus for the story makes CSIII and especially IV feel tacky. The decisions the original Class VII made at the end of CSII still make no sense to me despite knowing exactly why they did what they did by leaving Rean behind. It essentially ruins every single one of the original Class VII in favor of trying to make the new Class VII the one we should _really_ be caring about, which makes one wonder what the point even was of having characters like Laura or Jusis have integral parts to play with specific characters, or how Alisa is effectively reduced to being always "too busy" with work to deal with the fact that her mother and caretaker are literally ruining the world on purpose and refusing to even begin to ask the important questions one would think a character in her position would be infatuated with asking. Instead we get Crossbell-obsessed Juna, Kurt Vander the myopic genius-but-not-so-genius as his brother and father, the barely holding it in jealousy of Altina, the stupid as hell retconned Ash, and the most overpowered yet misused brain in Musse. None of these characters have the same charm or interest involved with them as their "senpai", and it was infuriating having to come to terms with the fact that these were the characters that were now the more important ones, leaving the OG Class VII by the trash despite them having _way_ more questions surrounding them _still_ in the IVth episode. And I now end my rant on that whole issue. TL;DR Play the game in release order, and try and get used to Rean the teacher and his class more than his own classmates, as they fall off very quickly in favor of Rean's students despite there being way more depth to his original class.
I started with sky FC but life got in the way and when I stumbled across cold steel that’s what hooked me now I’ll recommend cold steel to my friends when they ask about jrpgs and if they ask for more from the series I’ll point them to the rest of the Tails series
Here are some other great videos to watch about Trails: *Who Is Falcom and What Is the Trails Series?* ruclips.net/video/wTgepMNxnV0/видео.html *The Early History of Falcom* ruclips.net/video/JIcbJn-RylQ/видео.html *Legend of Heroes: Trails In The Sky SC - What Happened?* ruclips.net/video/k6oLRis7QXo/видео.html
Not to undermine the efforts of Jessica Chavez, but its sad how few actually mention Andrew Dice and Robin Light-Williams, those two guys convinced XseeD to bring Trails in th Sky SC from Falcom. They translated the main scenario but due the overwhelming pressure, heavy load of the work and logistical problems they couldn't finish part of the job... Truly, thanks to everyone who has worked on this series. We wouldn't be here without you.
It took a whole day to render, but it's finally done! Hope you guys enjoy it!
First of all, a massive thank you to everyone who allowed me to work with them to make this happen, you guys are awesome:)
AvengerMags - Writer for Nintendo Force Magazine - twitter.com/NintendoForce
LadyVirgilia - Trails / Persona RUclipsr - ruclips.net/user/LadyVirgilia
FebruaryNight4 - Twitch Streamer and RUclipsr - www.twitch.tv/februarynight4
Alex (Backlog Battle) - RUclipsr - ruclips.net/user/BacklogBattlefeatured
Tyler - Host of The Kiseki Cast - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-kiseki-cast/id1465953496
DarkPhoenix_69 - Twitch Streamer - www.twitch.tv/darkphoenix_69
Francesco - Mod of 'The Falcom Lounge' - facebook.com/groups/599656367370826
Secondly, a couple of updates, initially about the video itself. It's something that I've been working on for just over a month now, and I intended it to be a retrospective come celebration of the Trails series. I realise that a 'celebration' of the series is probably a bit soured now considering what's occurred very recently, but I'm not going to let the actions of a third party influence this videos release. I love the series too much to let something like that hold it back.
Finally, tech issues (yaaaay, and the reason it took a whole day to render as opposed to 2 hours) - I sent my new build off to a place more suited for testing since there's only so much I can do in a small space, and in its place I've been using my laptop as a substitute. It's done well, but my goodness I just want my main rig back now...
Said rig has been gone for about 2 weeks, and during that period it's been pushed to its limits and running 24/7 on top of that - it hasn't had one issue since it left.
So the supposed good news is that there's actually not an issue with the components, and if all tests go well tomorrow it'll be sent back to me.
The bad news is that it suggests there is something else in my setup which is potentially tripping the whole thing, but that hopefully will just be a case of trial and error to figure out - for example one of the USB devices I use could be the root cause. I'll keep you guys up to date as always, but I just can't wait for it to be over.
Damn, so it wasn't the PSU? Yikes
@@jmporkbob i honestly am not sure mate. But the simple fact is that it's run for nearly 2 weeks 24/7 at a very high load and it hasn't tripped. And they checked the PSU and couldn't see any problem with the voltage, so that suggests that it's something in my own set up that's causing the problem. I'll have to see if I get it back this week.
@@TheKisekiNut That's not the kinda stuff you want to see. It's supposed to just be simple dammit! 🤦
Kiseki but why has falcom given nis the localization to kuro only for nis to delete the fan patch but nis is doing nothing only to let another group translation the crossbell arc what is going on why is falcom letting this continue
super video ! big thank for you work !
"A new Trails game doesn't just represent a new title in the series. It represents the opportunity to revisit a second home."
Well said my friend. Love and appreciate your work!
This video made it hit me how crazy it is to think that Zero’s global release is only 2 weeks away now. I remember just starting Cold Steel 2 last year when I heard that Falcom announced Geofront would assist in making an official translation. I’m so excited to see the story of Crossbell leading to Cold Steel 3 unfold!
Can't wait.i played cold steel 1 thru 3 but then 4 really needed the Crossville arc so I waited for that,so im gonna play the Crossville arc then go thru the trails again...we have years so might aswell lol
@@holy9781 i applaud your patience. I went straight from 3 to 4, and I feel like my second play through after Crossbell will be much better with some added context. To my knowledge Azure is the next upcoming release sometime in Spring 2023, so luckily you won’t be waiting too long
I want to start the trails series. Where can I start? Should I just play cold steel 1-3? Will this be the best entry to the world of Trails
@@mordor2594 Cold Steel 1 or Trails in the Sky FC are the current best points of entry, with either being a good way to enter the series for different reasons. If graphics matter to you and you’re looking for a bit of a school slice-of-life style to keep you interested in the beginning, I’d start with Cold Steel, but if you prioritize plot depth and would like to experience the series in release order, then I’d recommend starting with Sky (the first quarter of the game is a bit of a slow burn, however). All in all it’s a “different strokes for different folks” kinda deal.
I couldn't wait for the official releases of the Crossbell games...I had finished the Sky trilogy and had Cold Steel 1-4 already waiting on my shelf.
Luckily I got some legit Asian copies and the Geofront translations before they removed them. You're in for a heck of a ride with the Crossbell games, I can see why many rank them their favourite!
What an incredible piece of content this is, TKN. You really outdid yourself in this one and I was glad to be a part of it. All the best going forward, man.
Thank you for taking part, bud! Have to do it again some time. :)
@@TheKisekiNut Definitely, man.
It's crazy that only a year after this video, Trails through Daybreak has been announced, the Crossbell games have been released (with some bumps upon release) and Reverie has been released. After DayBreak, we will only be 1 mainline game behind, it's been a great year for Trails fans.
Leave it to TKN to deliver the story of a company and their projects in such a way to make me cry while listening. Honestly thank you for educating me on Falcon’s history. It really is eye opening and (in a really cheesy way) I can relate them to their own characters like Lloyd, getting over those barriers no matter how high.
I got into Trails a year before the pandemic. I was on a high of MMOS and shooters and wanted to get back into rpgs. I looked up good tbrpgs and I saw a video of cold steel 2 where Rean is fighting that you know what right at the beginning of the game when he’s in that town. I wasn’t super sold be eh gave it a try.
I was immediately gripped by the story, finishing cold steel 1 and 2 and going to play 3 when I was told by some friends that there’s SO many other games in the series I’d want to play first. Then the pandemic hit and I said why not, played through each entry 1 after another and even the fan translations (and emulations) of Zero and Azure. I never truly felt so warm playing a game because the world felt so lived in and real that it was hard to ever really stop playing lol to this day Trails is my all time favorite series and it’ll forever live rent free on my head.
You give me too much credit mate, all the love goes to Falcom for giving us the series! :)
I’m on a similar path. Watched the first episode of the anime and was interested and then saw in the comments this was set between CS 2 and CS 3. So put the anime on hold and started playing CS 1 and got hooked. I’ve just started CS 2 and realized how big the series actually is so I’m planning to go back and play the Liberal and Crossbell arcs before going back the CS games. Awesome thing is the official translations are all releasing so I’ll get to play through all of those.
I can tell that you had to get over some barriers yourself in order to produce this beast of a Trails documentary, thank you and all contributors very much! I will never forget how I stumbled upon Sky FC and Ys Origin on GOG in the mid 2010s, picking them up on a whim, not knowing that this developer will eventually become one of my highest appreciated devs of all time, even challenging 90s Squaresoft. I'm glad to see some high quality passion content like this video here and there. There are some annoying loud voices inside the Falcom fanbase, but I'm always happy to see the other, positive side of the coin.
As fandoms grow, we'll always see the good and bad sides. It's on us to decide which one we want to engage with. I'm fine with critiquing the faults of the series and I can understand the frustrations, but I also don't want that to take over the love I have for it either.
I can thank this series for my Laura Arseid simping obsession 😂😂😂
Regardless it’s honestly become one of my favorite series up there now rivaling kingdom hearts
You did a fantastic job encapsulating and delivering a long history of Trails games into a meaningful success story. I am late to the party you might say. I recently finished the masterpiece that is Trails in the Sky SC, am about to start Sky the 3rd and have preordered both Crossbell western releases and have all Cold Steel games for afterward. What an impressive series this is. This is a well worth the 45 minute time investment. Falcom is legendary, there is no doubt in my mind. Thanks TKN!
@@SuperSupersoda thanks for that. Ive heard its a little different, hoping for the best and something tells me it will be great in its own way.
@@MiamiSunrise The 3rd definitely is. In regards to the central narrative it's considered "weaker" than the other entries, but as for it's side narrative (the doors), it is easily one of the strongest points in the series. This is simply due to how many plots it sets up.
To play the Crossbell games again for the first time would be special. I envy you.
@@sanane66543 Are you afraid they'll run out of digital copies or something? Or were you just hoping to get an early dopamine hit from the purchase itself.
@@sanane66543 Well...you can do that 2 weeks from now.
Thank you for making this video. It's not an understatement to say that this series has changed the way I view games forever, and hearing about the backstory I didn't know about was very fun and informing. I almost feel bad about my incessant complaining about the wait for localization with all the struggles they went through... Almost.
Hats down to XSEED, going the full length in preserving the consistency of the series, not all translators do that.
A 45-minute special!? Absolutely spoiling us!
Ooooh, what an excellent concept for a video! As a massive Ys and Trails faithful, thank you so much for the deep dive!
The Trails series has become my favorite RPG franchise; it's fantastic. And the YS series is also great; I've only played Ys VIII, which became my third favorite game of all time (thanks to Dana Iclucia and her story arc), and Ys Origins, which is fun to play and has an interesting story and character develpment. Nihon Falcom is they new beacon for RPG lovers.
@@sanane66543 agreed! Ys IX was great, even though I haven’t beat it yet lol
@@sanane66543 I have it on the radar and I'll definetely buy it. I heard that YS IX improves the gameplay over that of Ys VIII, and that its characters have a stronger development than those of YS VIII; about this last point, I can believe that the game's cast may be much better than that of YS VIII, collectivelly, but I find it hard to believe that, individually, there's a better character than Dana Iclucia.
Fantastic job illustrating Falcom's history in the JRPG and video game scene at large. Trails is such a fascinating franchise.
Trails attempts to undertake a grand narrative in a way unseen in gaming and is incredibly successful in doing so. Everything from the characters, to the world building, to the narrative itself, everything is done so deliberately yet so brilliantly. The gameplay is so addictive and the music... the MUSIC is absolutely masterful.
The atmosphere and tone from each entry is done so beautifully, and it's particularly thanks to the OST. For example, Trails from Zero goes from being a police detective, going case from case, to what suddenly leads you to this bizarrely hunting temple. The entire tone shift from before you go into the temple to after with Gnosis being introduced shortly after is very eerie. Or the complete atmosphere shift in Heimdallr from Cold Steel I to Cold Steel III, and the implications that has on the current situation between the 2 year span in the timeline. It's such a thrill that very few games or pieces of media can produce- let alone replicate.
I love every single entry in this franchise, so it's very difficult to choose between the 9 (soon to be 10 in 2023 and eventually 11 and 12 hopefully by 2025) entries. If I were to have a Top 9 of what I favor most, it would generally be something like:
1. Trails to Azure
2. Trails of Cold Steel IV
3. Trails from Zero
4. Trails of Cold Steel I
5. Trails in the Sky SC
6. Trails of Cold Steel III
7. Trails of Cold Steel II
8. Trails in the Sky the 3rd
9. Trails in the Sky FC
Amongst the Top 6 are interchangeable depending on how I feel or what conditions I'm ranking the under. For instance, I enjoyed CS3 immensely. Arguably even more SC and Zero in certain respects, but I decided to rank it lower than them due to certain circumstances/how I feel at the current moment.
14:11 The fishing woman was that one woman in Grancel who took up fishing to beat her husband at his own game for neglecting her lol
Amazing video, I can tell a ton of work went into this.
Ahhh this was such a good video! I'm so thankful I got to take part in it. Thanks so much again for the opportunity. And absolutely excellent work as always!
Also the lady I was talking about in my clip about NPCs is a noble woman in Grancel. She takes up fishing because her husband keeps leaving her to go on fishing trips, and she becomes better at it than him. It was such a funny arc, and I kept visiting her to see it play out. I believe she also gives you a fishing rod at some point too. Not sure if anyone else remembers her?
🤣 But Annabelle and Estelle are also fishing queens as well. It just goes to show how many cool characters these games have, both big and small. 🤩
I remember her, I was also following that plot closely I really enjoyed it!!!
Yeah fishing in this world seems about as crazy as the card games get in Cold Steel - everyone wants to be the best!
Thank you for taking part Mags, and for specifying who it was! I tried to rack my brain when I heard you mention her, but couldn't figure it out in the end.
@@TheKisekiNut It was a super obscure reference, so that's on me. She was fresh in my mind from playing the Sky games this year! 🤣
@@TheKisekiNut It's easier to remember her as the second opponent Estelle faces during the 3rd's dreaded fishing game. The woman who challenged Estelle in the sewers and wouldn't leave until the two had an angler duel? That was Norche.
14:13 I don't remember her name, but in Grancel there's a guy who's a government employee that was barred from the castle during the 'event' which took place during the endgame of FC. With no work he would go fishing all day, which annoyed his wife to no end because she felt he was ignoring her. So, to get back at him she started going out fishing and subsequently became enthralled and earned herself a position in the upper echelons of the Grancel Angler's guild.
One thing I really like about the combat is how different it is from other Turn Based RPGs. The fact that it's a mix of tradition Turn Based JRPG and Turn Based Strategy is something I really appreciate.
With regards to the bonding events, they remind me a bit of the Heart to Hearts from Xenoblade Chronicles, small character moments that help to develop the characters and their relationships with one another. Though in those games they could be moments between any party members, not just the main character.
Completely slipped my mind tbh, but I haven't played Sky in a long time now. Glad someone knew.
Seriously good sir. VERY GOOD WORK. As an old hand at the series myself, I've just sent your video out as a newer updated starter care pack for new players. Saving me alot of convincing of the latter.
Amazing work to put this video project together TKN! It was great to learn more about the origins of the series back in the 80's and 90's and also hear from some of my other favorite content creators. I think DarkPhoenix said it perfectly that the Trails series really feels like a family that you come home to whenever I do a playthrough of a game. I'm so excited to replay the Trails from Zero later this month and all future localizations of this amazing series. Thanks again for the great video!
Yeah man, DP hit it out the park with the commentary!
Great work man!
Just finished Kuro no Kiseki, just like you said once you're hooked your getting into the long run! Can't wait for upcoming releases!
Absolutely fantastic piece!
I feel homeless right now. Nearly 3 months from beating Sky 3, waiting for Zero to release. Seems like an accomplishment, a world so fully realized you feel sad when you're no longer in it
Im jealous of you having so many trails game left to play
@@pirisel1137 I already have them bought too I just don’t want to start cold steel so close to zero and azure
@@drowningin have you got a chance to take at the supplemental materials yet? theres a couple of mangas and drama cds to check out in preparation for Zero if you haven't already. each arc has a few and they are referenced in game. you should be able to find them on youtube or by googling them.
@@cius2112 no I'll search
Makes it worth revisiting though.
fantastic video essay on the series, TKN! I agree it feels like a second home. I also loved all the guest participants from other channels and mediums, and I looks forward to checking out their platforms!
This video was sensationally well made and as a die hard fellow Trails fan thank you for creating content about a series that means the world to me and so many others.
It has been a joy to listen to this. I really can feel the passin you have for the trails series. I for one become a fan just because i am bored and decide to try trails in the sky in the psp and whoa and behold now just finished tocs 2 across different platforms. Its really a privelege to play this game and hopefully will come a day that trails have a worldwide release on same time
Not a bad thing to find when you're bored!
Fantastic video! I've been counting the days till Zero's release and now I'm even more excited. It was great learning about the history of Falcom and the older Legend of Heroes games. I knew about some of the issues of the localization of the sky arc (including the darker side of things) but seeing it detailed like that was interesting. Thank you for this!
Amazing! This video is so interesting and recaps the "story" of the franchise. Thank you for your work!
I love hearing about Falcom’s early history. I can only imagine what it was like in the 80s when they had the physical store and the game company seemed to grow organically from interactions and relationships established there.
You must have put a lot of work into this. Great job!
An excellent video! Thoroughly enjoyed it, really interesting!
I think trails of cold steel 1 really brought in a lot of fans in the west, the amount of people who have come in from cold steel is insane I'm one of them and I've just played through the sky arc and I'm waiting for the zero to carry on the journey forward. and just from completing the sky arc my entire perspective of cold steel 1 has changed and I'm gonna have to replay the game when I finish the Crossbell arc. It's insane....
I always recommend CS1 as a good starting point, because that's where I started. I know for a fact that if I tried to stick it out with FC then I wouldn't be here today.
I think so too. And CSI despite it being less highly regarded by influencers is probably a better starting point than FC. I personally like it a lot though I liked CSIII a lot as well (haven't played Reverie though). Liberl can always be played after CS without you feeling missing much. In fact apart from some moon doors in the third (technically two with Ouroboros and anoither with Osborne/Olivert, the rest is character background) I don't think anyone will be particularly lost without playing the first 3. It's a shame we had to wait so long for Crossbell though as it ties more to the CS story. But there's light flickering dimly at the end of the tunnel as of writing...
@@yojimbo26 Yap I agree I'm waiting for the crossbell games so I can play them and then replay CS1 and start the rest of the CS games!! It's going to be a good couple of months :D
@@TheKisekiNut This is true i started FC and its good but I felt it was a lot slower then CS for me but SC and 3rd made the first game worth it in so many ways. its amazing to see how good Falcom are at setting up a world and continuing to build it...
I got goosebumps while watching this. Thank you.
Expertly made video, TKN. This series means so much to me and you did an amazing job of compiling it’s history. I can’t wait to play Zero for the first time in a couple of weeks.
Wow!! To say that this was a fantastic video would be an understatement. The kiseki nut, you have an incredible ability to narrate, summarize and make your videos absolutely entertaining and engaging. This was so good, I'm going to watch it again right now. I have played the first three Trails games, but have yet to dabble in either the Cold Steel arc, or the Zero and Azure duology. This makes me want just start from the beginning and play them all just to experience the world in its entirety. Anyway, keep the great content coming brother. We appreciate you. Your channel certainly deserves WAY more views and subs then it currently has.
This was a nostalgic trip for me, I remembered getting FC back as a kid it blew me away. It left a big cliffhanger and almost forgot about the series picked the game up once again in college when I saw SC and 3rd on the shelves. fast forward today and having played Sky, Crossbell and Erebonia I am now eagerly waiting for Reverie and Nayuta Calvard is still a long time but I am satisfied on the release schedules that we got right now compared to 1st - SC which was a very long time
Incredible video, really appreciate the hard work that went into this. I haven’t played Trails in a while but this makes me want to revisit the series. My laptop died when I was playing the Geofront Azure patch and I never got around to continuing on my new PC. I just wish the handheld versions had turbo mode cause it’s practically standard for me.
Turbo mode is a god send. I love the series, but I couldn't play without it.
I got into the series with Cold Steel on ps3. Since then I played all english entries to this date.
Great essay on the struggles and victories of the series across the years. 👏
This was a great video man, i always like videos like these
Thanks for the docu.
I feel sorry for the translator. Someone within the company, should have used programming to convert the CSV to spreadsheet. You can do it with a few lines of python code... It would have taken a few minutes, not 2 months.
I guess we'll never know the true ins and outs of the situation, it does suck how the situation unfurled though.
Other than the ending being a tad bit ubrupt (which come on I'm being nitpicky here) excellent video mate.
Amidst the drama of the current situation I'm still extremely hopeful for the future games and hope more positive attention has been brought to light and strengthen the numbers in the west where our voices will make that difference and (hopefully) close that gap
I wanted to keep the video mostly based around the games that I know a fair number of watchers would have played. Zero and Azure thus made the cut there - I didn't really feel there was much point going too in depth with Reverie or Kuro considering they're still a ways off coming West.
@@TheKisekiNut actually is this msg meant for another comment? Haha either that or I'm misunderstanding something
@@spironan it was to explain the abruptness of the ending. Some people felt I should have looked in to the future of the series, but I didn't see a point outside of giving them a brief mention as I intended this to also be mostly spoiler free outside of vague story references here and there.
Really love this game. Thankful I got to play the first game thinking it was the best graphics at that time. Always gives a chll when hear Joshua's Harmonica < 3
Kiseki Nut unleashing his S-Craft video. It one shotted me. Or me it? Doesn't matter I guess! I enjoyed listening!
It's funny but i found Tokyo Xanadu first and then found out about the trails series. I love these games
Great work on this, it's really well put together and interesting! And a nice touch including a few comments from other Trails fans (thanks, btw!). It's still kind of strange to think of how so many of us stumbled into this franchise, only to become totally engrossed. I only found it because I was trying to find good JRPGs on PSP, and was somehow lucky enough to find the greatest.
Thank you for getting involved bud, and also thanks for the postcard. ;)
Fantastic Job on this upload mate. Took a lot of work I am sure. Love the trails series especially sky and crossbell series and found this fascinating. Excellent upload. SO SO happy that crossbell is finally officially making it west. Got both those lovely switch limited editions preordered. Great time to be a trails fan!
Enjoy the games when they arrive! :)
Oh man I really really appreciate this video!
I remember playing Sky1 on my PSP and being completely engrossed by the story, and as soon as I was done I did a quick search to see when the second game would be coming out.
I was crushed to find out it was probably not coming out.
I remember looking for new info almost on a weekly basis until it was announce to be coming out on steam.
Finally playing sky2 was one of the most gratifying experiences I’ve ever had the pleasure of going through.
Thanks for this video!
Truly a video worthy of the Kiseki franchise. Fantastic work. Congrats.
Good job explaining all these complications !!
This is top quality content.
I discovered the Trails series and Falcom with the PC release of Cold Steel 1, i thought it was just your typical JRPG at first but boy was i wrong.... I remember waiting so hard for Cold Steel 2 wanting to know what was next :D currently playing the Sky trilogy (on SC now) and i can't wait to get my hands on Trails from Zero ! Thank you Falcom for making those amazing games and stories !
Incredible Video
I'm still going through the process of figuring out how far back I should go on the legend of heroes before starting, and it doesn't make it any easier knowing that the PC88 and PC98 games looked and sounded like that.
at one point I had several dragonslayer and legend of heroes games stuck on my hard drive, only to get sidetracked by xenoblade
Yeaaaaah, just jump in to Trails. The older titles don't have a connection to outside of the Legend of Heroes name. If you enjoy Trails, you can always go back and check out the earlier entries.
Just start in Sky, the older games are good but dated, Sky onward is legit top tier gaming storytelling.
Awsome video. Trails is my favorite video game series and I patiently await reverie and the calvard ark in English. Emphasis on patience cause I don't want Nis America to crunch for the release of those translations
This is a special video for sure I think everyone would be glad that you did not let recent events hold back on this video. If Anything I think people especially from the Kiseki Community who watch this will have gained perspective on why things are the way they are for trails in the west and east. Its definitely something most trails fans won't understand about localisation in general especially for smaller Japanese companies. But man on a personal note I had never really thought that trails had so much development/translation hell in the beginning I think every person should think how crazy it is that we even got to experience the series at all even. Some real hero saves from people who worked on the localisation for these games. I hope you look back at this and feel proud especially with how many people you ended up collaborating within the kiseki community to create this. While kiseki may hold a special place in a lot of our hearts we must understand every video game series / ip journey is different. Appreciate the content!
At first, I thought of playing Trails in The Sky to test waters and didn't expect much due to graphics last 2019. However man did that prove me wrong ; By the time I saw the interactions between Estelle and Cassius, not to mention the fact that each npc and as if literally everything in the game had life into it, I immediately knew I would love the Kiseki franchise and be a diehard fan. Im someone who loves to read novels, manhwa, manhua and manga so Falcom writing Kiseki's plot to how it s, really just makes the series more appealing to me. Now from starting in Sky, currently in Kuro chapter 3 without missing a single detail in every game ( other than some of those hidden quests in Crossbell arc lmao ) and waiting for a fan translation to finally make its way towards me for Crimson Sin.
PS: Salute to you m8 for making such a wonderful overview about Kiseki, I didn't even know the localization issues were that bad.
40:50 There ya go people! You absolutely DO NOT need to START from the Sky games.
While you can arguably skip crossbell, Sky is quite a bit more required reading. You have to go in with the understanding that to outsiders Erebonia is basically the "bad guys".
I feel like starting with cold steel is fine I played 1-3 and now I’m playing Zero
Awesome vid man, this is truly a unique and magical series that's hard to describe in a way. Also glad to see you putting best girl up at the end there xD
What a wonderful video and excellent job you did! Trails of Zero came yesterday in the mail but had Zero (sorry but pun intended!) idea what kind of history, struggle and work it took to bring it to my front door yesterday. Man, I feel like this is going to be a wild ride!
Thank you for this history. I have loved your content about the Trails series. I started with Cold Steel 1 on the PS3. I enjoyed it but felt like I was missing something. I was excited and bought the 2 Crossbell games. I started Trails from Zero and was hooked. I just finished Azure. As I was completing it, I really wanted to play the series from the beginning. I bought a Steam Deck and purchased 1st 3 games. I'm about to start this series from the behinning. I currently own all 10 games either on Switch or Steam. Now I will play them all portably in order. I'm very excited. Thank you for helping to build my excitement.
You did a great job telling the ups and downs of Trails.
Also the Geofront are the real life embodiment of the "legend of heroes" for Trails fans.
I am SO glad that this series has been translated to english even after all the problems surrounding it. It is simply amazing to play trough.
So I was just watching a video and have been wanting to get into the series, and I was looking for a video like this when autoplay brought me straight here. Thank you.
Absolute banger! Keep up the hard work!!
The fact that Anton has a story arc that progresses through every game is incredible
Good job with your video as always! Yeesh the wait for Sky SC was grueling around that time. When Akiba’s Trip 2 released in 2014 for PS3 and Vita there were ADs for Cold Steel inside the game which made me salty as all hell.
Damn this story is so wild. Jessica Chavez sounds like she is nearly singularly responsible for the fact that we even have Trails in English.
Amazing video ! Thank you for this :)
You sir, truly are the Kiseki Nut
I really liked this video the first time I saw it, but now seeing it after playing through Reverie and halfway through Nayuta I can see how boundless trails wasn't meant to completely tie into Trails. It was meant to show that there is a world out there past Zemuria, and that the pre Trails installments have a rich history that should be respected. Now I want to play the early installments
I remember reading most of the quoted articles from the devs and localizers live at the time of posting, especially that stuff about SC2's translation. I even remember coming up with the idea of crowdfunding for them to hire more translators but by that time they didn't wanna risk the quality of the game so they had decided to just handle it slow and steady.
Trails is a experience that I only had with Mass Effect back in the past. IT is a franchise that started like a child with a lot of dreams to fulfill, reached a conflicted and torture path but finally break through them and see the light.
That is why for me that their most significant soundtrack and the ones who fits them more in this franchise are "Whereabouts of Hope/Light" and "Get over the barrier". That... because they had to do both to grasp that completely unexpected hit.
We could argue which arc is the best, which characters are the best ones which are the worst arcs etcera. But we could all agree on one point: *If they tried to do something that (apparently) wasn't do before at this level of depth, they succeed it. Considerating how this was such a HUGE bet.. they endured it and they are seeing their results*.
That being said, maybe someday this could be called one of the best JRPGS *FRANCHISES* of all time. I don't know if that could happen.. but it wouldn't be an exaggeration if that happens.
I agree with you about everything you said about Trails series. Someday, it will keep getting more attention and popularity in Western countries.
@@calweeb1282 IT depends on how they approach those respective zones. IT would be surely hard to make it reach spanish lenguage zones.
Trails will have a legacy regardless of if it flops going forward. You can argue Yakuza would come in to the mix, but in terms of a fantastical interconnected world, nothing comes close to Trails, and it'll likely stay that way.
I love the history of some jrpg studios/publishers! Thanks for this rich lesson 🙏🏽☺️
cant belive that next year we'll be only 2 games behind, damn!! this is the best time to be a kiseki fan
This video is very interesting to learn about the history of the legend of heroes: Trail series. I remember buying trail of the sky FC on steam and I had fall in love with it, and when i saw the second is coming out on steam, i just bought it right away. I never knew it was the translation was the main reason why it take so long to release the game to the west. I am very glad that crossbells story is getting the translation so everyone can play the game (I already play in on PC with fan translation), the story is so good.
I think we may get the The Legend of Heroes: Kuro no Kiseki in 2024, I just hope Falcon take a small break from the legend of heroes, they are releasing every year! Allow the west to catch up, please!
I'd like to think that it's all but confirmed that Ys X is the next game Falcom will work on, so that at least gives us another year to catch up.
I'm glad to be part of this family.
The fact that the initial localization process nearly drove someone to suicide is genuinely upsetting
Amazing Quality Content 🔥🔥
Great video! Thanks so much
Who knew that that one random jrpg game i bought for my psp would end up having many sequels that continue to expand the Trails world
Their approach for Cold Steel worked. It was the first one I bought and played. After I finished I immediately bought Trails in the Sky and was hooked.
Really enjoying this more documentary style of video! You do a great job, here and in the Xenoblade video, of synthesising a lot of information and presenting it in a way that makes sense and is easy to follow. It's a tricky thing to do, but you really make it look easy!
cold steel really did a great job introducing to new fans
Something that the Trails/Legend of Heroes/Ys series have done great to this day is how they subvert typical JRPG cliches without being to forcible nor too gimmicky. The hero doesn’t always end with the heroine, the loud brawler has his calm and pensive moments, and the villains sometimes have sympathetic reasons for their fall from grace. One thing that sets Trails apart from Bandai-Namco Tales games is the top-tier compositions from Falcom’s sound team, with a decades long reputation.
It’s funny how the first Legend of Heroes wasn’t much different from Dragon Quest until it’s sequel gave the series an out-of-nowhere sci-fi twist.
Crazy though that i went to buy the crossbell arc on Playstation store and its not on the new games section and there was no advertisement (at least not in the states). Got worried that it wasn't coming out, but was able to find in in the search tab. I know its just a reboot of an old game but if they want better sales in the west i think they need to do better. Love the trails games and the channel. Appreciate all the content bud
I'm stoked there is now an anime series about the heavy referenced northern war
I'm looking forward to Trails to Azure next month, literally a week after my birthday no less. Talk about an awesome birthday present. This series drew me in with cold steel, though, if I want to be fully technical, another game similar in a way also done by XSEED, Tokyo Zanadu, was the pivot from a friend of mine that dragged me in. I did stop myself however when I realized I could go back to Trails in the sky and now Zero and Azure, so I've yet to complete CS4. I'm looking forward to getting the full story now, as I will have played the entire line by time I go back to Cold Steel.
Amazing work thank you so much!!
I really need to check out the Gagharv Trilogy
If you intend to get physical copies, good luck! They're like gold dust.
The MCU of JRPG.
No it's even better
Wonder if Falcom will do something with Sky's 20th Anniversary in a couple year
I can't believe I had not realized that the crossbel arc was already translated. I'm going on a long journey
OMG 6:28 look at all those awesome PS1 RPG titles!! Imagine how much an unwrapped copy of Suikoden II and Lunar 2 would cost!!
Holy shit, I didn't know there's such a dark turn of event regarding SC localization.
I just recently started going through the Trails series. Originally I started with Cold Steel I, but never got past the Nord section early in the game. It felt somewhat clunky to play, and the repetitive nature of the gameplay loops didn't do it any favors.
A month or so ago, I decided to actually start from the beginning with Trails in the Sky, and push myself through whatever I came into contact with - whether good or bad. Turns out, I feel it is now imperative that in order to enjoy the series, you _must_ start with the Sky trilogy, followed by the Crossbell trilogy. The reasons being: the gameplay evolves much more naturally, instead of just changing radically with Cold Steel, and secondly I had to literally stop playing Cold Steel IV after several hours due to the sheer amount of Crossbell spoilers just in the first chapter of the game.
When I originally looked up what order to play the series in, it was always "Trails in the Sky 1-3, Cold Steel 1-2, Crossbell 1-2, then Cold Steel III-IV". However, due to the localization delay on Azure, this simply wasn't an option this late in the game, and I had to go into Cold Steel III and IV without having played Zero or Azure. This made my experience with Cold Steel III and part of IV feel incomplete and just plain terrible. CSIII eventually gets much better, but the lack of knowledge of who Juna is made me feel slightly ticked off; not to mention the fact that all the characters I enjoyed were now essentially "guests" with no real story behind them, and Rean now being the sole character that has any merit whatsoever.
You eventually get accustomed to Juna, Kurt, Ash, Musse, and Altina, but the sheer lack of connectivity between CSII and CSIII's characters makes it a hard left turn to get used to, and this takes hours to adjust to knowing you will never really play as the original class VII ever again after CSII. Their presence in CSIII is iffy at best, and their complete lack of characterization in CSIV - despite being there from the start - makes the whole thing feel rather hollow.
Once I found myself getting spoiled out the wazoo for Zero and Azure, and subsequently stopping to play Zero, I found myself greatly enjoying the story again. To the point that I literally bought the Japanese version of Azure and pirated the Geofront localization.
So it is my opinion that the Kiseki series needs to be played in order of release instead of the sliced and diced suggestion recommended everywhere the question is asked. Any other way will ruin certain story beats permanently, and you can't go back to _not_ knowing Mirabell's deal once you've played twenty minutes of CSIV where Estelle, Joshua, Lloyd, Elie, Renne, and KeA literally spell out the entire plot line up to that point in _the_ most clunky way imaginable.
However, my single greatest issue with the series so far is the treatment of Class VII throughout Cold Steel's plot. They're built up so much in the first two games then just tossed into cameos in favor of the "new" Class VII/Rean-focused narrative. Rean is a great character, but he only really shines when he's around his original squad mates. Making him the teacher of a new Class VII with an entirely different focus for the story makes CSIII and especially IV feel tacky. The decisions the original Class VII made at the end of CSII still make no sense to me despite knowing exactly why they did what they did by leaving Rean behind. It essentially ruins every single one of the original Class VII in favor of trying to make the new Class VII the one we should _really_ be caring about, which makes one wonder what the point even was of having characters like Laura or Jusis have integral parts to play with specific characters, or how Alisa is effectively reduced to being always "too busy" with work to deal with the fact that her mother and caretaker are literally ruining the world on purpose and refusing to even begin to ask the important questions one would think a character in her position would be infatuated with asking.
Instead we get Crossbell-obsessed Juna, Kurt Vander the myopic genius-but-not-so-genius as his brother and father, the barely holding it in jealousy of Altina, the stupid as hell retconned Ash, and the most overpowered yet misused brain in Musse. None of these characters have the same charm or interest involved with them as their "senpai", and it was infuriating having to come to terms with the fact that these were the characters that were now the more important ones, leaving the OG Class VII by the trash despite them having _way_ more questions surrounding them _still_ in the IVth episode. And I now end my rant on that whole issue.
TL;DR Play the game in release order, and try and get used to Rean the teacher and his class more than his own classmates, as they fall off very quickly in favor of Rean's students despite there being way more depth to his original class.
I started with sky FC but life got in the way and when I stumbled across cold steel that’s what hooked me now I’ll recommend cold steel to my friends when they ask about jrpgs and if they ask for more from the series I’ll point them to the rest of the Tails series
Here are some other great videos to watch about Trails:
*Who Is Falcom and What Is the Trails Series?*
ruclips.net/video/wTgepMNxnV0/видео.html
*The Early History of Falcom*
ruclips.net/video/JIcbJn-RylQ/видео.html
*Legend of Heroes: Trails In The Sky SC - What Happened?*
ruclips.net/video/k6oLRis7QXo/видео.html
Not to undermine the efforts of Jessica Chavez, but its sad how few actually mention Andrew Dice and Robin Light-Williams, those two guys convinced XseeD to bring Trails in th Sky SC from Falcom. They translated the main scenario but due the overwhelming pressure, heavy load of the work and logistical problems they couldn't finish part of the job...
Truly, thanks to everyone who has worked on this series. We wouldn't be here without you.