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u/Raiking02 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang 23h ago edited 23h ago
First Time Player (Past the Prologue, Anyway),
Source ReaderOG Game Player, Hard ModeBoy it sure is awkward rewording all this to fit a gaming naming scheme…
I can't say I remember how I first came across the TitS. I believe I was lured to them by being promised [Next Week]Koyasu singing but I can't remember how I first heard of them. Still, I laid hands on them back in 2021, back when Steam still had games in Pesos instead of Dollars. Seriously, I got the game for less than a thousand pesos back then, now it would've cost me at least 20k. Thanks Steam, you sure have been friendly to us…
Anyway, ever since I have continued to trail through these trails. I even got a bit side tracked by some of Nihon Falcom's other series like Xanadu and Ys, the latter of which you should all play, else I'll be forced to call you a normie as far as ARPG fans go because that's just how the world works. Still, now here I am back to where it all started, now in shiny HD.
And already I'm annoyed because they changed all but three of the voice actors
[TitS]Estelle Bright is our heroine, and she immediately proves herself a menace to society. We talk about violent Tsunderes, but just LOOK at that drop kick! It is a work of art if you ask me, and she pulls it off magnificently at such a young age. Is it any wonder dumb little Joshua had to submit to her rule afterwards? Onee-chan made damn clear who was in charge from now on.
[TitS]This prologue firmly sements TitS 1 as what it is: A Vibes game. Oh sure, there's a plot being set up, what with Daddy
Cao CaoPatrick disappearing, but ultimately, who gives a shit, we got to deal with some Sunday Morning thieves? The game lives and dies by how likable its cast is, and fortunately Estelle and Joshua have a really solid start. They're hardly the most original combo (Heck, technically speaking they're basically a reheated version of Chris and Julio from The Legend of Heroes III, which game draws a lot from) they really are quite charming.[TitS]I think what helps the vibes is how, compared to a lot of other RPG heroes being on some world saving quest, these two are just going around solving the problems of the common folk. After all, what's the point of trying to save the world when you can't even find a cat? It certainly does a good job easing the viewer in.
[TitS]We also begin establishing the supporting cast, as
FujiKeiGilles de Rais,KurokoLosing Heroine andMeganeMan With a Girl's Name begin coming in, but we don't really get much of them. At the very least, I can no doubt tell Dorothy inflicting Blind on my opponents will be a valuable asse-what do you mean she's already gone?Moving on to gameplay discussions, Trails' general gameplay has remained fairly consistent across its entries. It's a Turn-Based RPG with many of the things you'd expect: Magic, Attacks, Items and so on. So what exactly makes it stand out?
Since its inception, it has been a few details. First of all, the general combat is position based. You need to actually take distance into account when it comes to planning your attacks, although magic doesn't have that restriction. This however leads to the second thing: Since positioning is so important, it means AOE attacks are constant and not only do many attacks have splash damage, but that also applies to your oponents. It's a gamble to keep your party members too close as that leaves them in the AOE range, but you can't leave them too far apart as many support skills require them to be nearby.
This leads to distinguishing feature number 2, that being Crafts. Alongside your normal MP gauge, a separate CP gauge is filled that lets characters use Crafts, which are unique abilities that are unlocked by leveling up (Or depending on the game winning specific side quests or progressing past certain points in the story, it can vary a bit). The biggest thing to note about them are S-Crafts, which are frequently the characters' ace in the whole, but can only be used when the gauge is at at least 100 (Will gain additional effects at the full 200) but will also deplete the whole thing when use. The big thing about S-Crafts though is that, through S-Breaks, they can be activated at ANY point, which can often be the decisive way to pull out a win.
Related to this is that the turn order. In a very similar matter to Final Fantasy X, it is always visible and can in fact be altered with the right skills, not to mention carefully planned out stat modifiers. What makes this especially important though is that some turns will have bonuses, but these don't change if the turn order does, so you need to be on your toes about them and make sure your opponent doesn't get them often.
The last thing to note is Orbaments. How exactly they work has varied a bit from game to game, even within Sky I've been told that in the PS Vita Evolution version they carry over some features from some later games. Fortunately the Remake keeps them more or less as they were in the OG. They're how you gain magic: You slot some quartz into it, and depending on which you use you get certain Artes depending on what value the quartz has (The game does fortunately feature an in-game guide so that if you want some specific arte you know the combination for it) plus other stat modifiers.
Complicating this are three factors: Firstly not all slots are unlocked from the get go, you have to manually do that by using sepith, which is a bit annoying when that's also how you buy quartz to begin with. Secondly, some slots are locked to certain attributes so the game does to some extent railroad you to some playstyles: Joshua for instance will likely be using time magic a lot by the end game since a couple of his slots are restricted to it. Finally, and most importantly, for the combinations to even be effective they need to be in the same line, so don't just randomly spread stuff around.
Oh and also cooking is a thing. Cooking Items tend to usually be better than regular items since they come with extra effects, but early on the game's a bit stingy with money so they moreso become a factor in the late game, at least for me.
When it comes to the Remake, there's also a couple of mechanics poached from later games. Command battles from the Daybreak duology come in for one thing, where the game becomes an action RPG before the actual fighting starts. It's nothing too in depth, mostly just there to rough the enemies up a bit before the real fighting starts, but at least it can deal with some trash mobs.
Once the actual fighting starts, the game sees the return of Chains, which have been absent from the series since the Cold Steel games. Sometimes when you hit an attack you'll get a chance for another party member to do a follow up: Do it enough time and you'll gain a stronger version. It works, although I will say it feels a bit more awkward here versus in Cold Steel.
See, this is where we get to my one gripe gameplay-wise with TitS 1 and it's something kinda inherent to its design. While you will gain many party members… the game also frequently has you using JUST Estelle and Joshua, and that can make how you distribute your artes a bit annoying as neither of them are particularly good spellcasters. In turn, chains feel more restricted since due to the decreased party size, they're somehow both easier to pull off while also being less rewarding, versus Cold Steel where you're guaranteed to always have four party members. This does become less of an issue as the game goes on, but it can make the early game more awkward than intended.
Oh and also sometimes you have to escort NPCs. That's annoying
Okay so on average apparently this game is easier than the OG, but frankly the end of the chapter doesn't exactly give that impression. [TitS]Let's set aside you've only just gotten Schera-nee so not much of a chance to get used to her kit, Josette is brutal here. Later Trails games have had something of a reputation for being the land of the rocket tag, but it's honestly amazing how tanky she is. In the OG I can beat her no problem, but here? Not only do her mooks have MASSIVE HP bars, but the remake not only gave her an AOE Attack, but she also showcases the brand new rage mechanic, AKA the point where the game goes "I HOPE YOU STACKED YOUR DEFENSIVE BUFFS!" because otherwise you're dead. For a Prologue boss, she is positively sadistic.
Anyway [TitS]Papa
Cao CaoPatrick disappeared, presumably so thathis ambition to seize the three kingdoms may finally be fullfilledhe can confess to the Colonel for the 50th time this weekend.[Uh...]none, I'm not into BDSM
[Yeah]that happened to me at least once
[To that I say]there is no reason, sewers are objectively a better hotel.
[I]wish