Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC
Blog Entry: Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC
Blog Entry: Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC
This is a (plot) spoiler-free summary of my thoughts on Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC so far. Note that when I say spoiler-free, this is what I mean:
"I was surprised when I found out about what happen to X." - Not spoiler.
"What happened to X was blah blah blah..." - Spoiler.
The difference is that in the first one, while you may know that what happened to X will be revealed and it will be surprising (in my opinion at least), you still don't know what the thing that happened is. If you are particularly sensitive to spoilers and something like "Z makes an appearance and talks to Y!" Even if you know nothing about what they actually say, is enough to constitute a spoiler for you, then don't read this. If you don't mind hints meant to built curiosity rather than give answers then (you're cool) read on (and check out my Twitter for screen shots.)
SC picks up immediately after FC, without the time skip I've come to expect from sequels. We get some interesting scenes with lots of feels and a peculiar new character is briefly introduced, then we start up on the prologue.
The prologue involves a small time skip, but still nothing big. We see some light character development for Analace, and I have to say, she's pretty amusing. This takes place in a new area, which is not too big and feels a tad disconnected from the rest of the game, despite being told where it is, because you can't move around freely, but rather select locations on a map. The plot twist is fairly easy to guess and will likely make you go "I knew it." More so then the satisfaction of guessing, I was just glad that they went with the only option that made sense, as it would have been a plot hole otherwise and this game has a pretty solid story for the most part. Yet I appreciated this segment so much more when I realized they were poking fun at classic RPGs. Overall, I enjoyed the prologue, after that, Estelle returns to Liberl.
To prevent the game from slowing down too much on the plot points from FC, they present clever little scenes of what other characters are doing between chapters. I was surprised to see Joshua. I'm glad that we get to see at least a hint of his side of the story instead of keeping him hidden away until the very end.
In chapter 1 (that is chapter 1 of SC not FC, why not just call them part 1 and 2 instead of having chapters with chapters?!) we get the option to choose to travel with Agate or Schera. This is my first play-through and if you know me, it's obvious I chose Agate because he's my favorite character. I don't know how different Schera's route is, but I imagine it merits a replay since she was heading to a different area of the country and should receive different missions.
In this blog I'm only going to focus on the story missions without much mention of optional side-quests. The first mission involves gathering clues and investigating a ghost. It's a fun little story that seems filler-ish at first, but is closely tied to the main plot. We get to see Kloe again and she gets some character development along with Estelle. I really enjoyed their conversation and reminiscing. Oliver's entrance into the story was amusing and he's as funny as ever. Needless to say, I'm quite happy with my team, though I don't have any characters I dislike.
There have been hints about the members of Orouboros and some appearances by new characters though there are still plenty of secrets to be revealed. Some characters also make an appearance in Trails of Cold Steel, which I plan to play later. I'm really getting to love the Trails series, though going above Sky will be no easy task (puns aside).
Another thing I'm enjoying about SC is how the music is similar yet different to FC. It's familiar and recognizable, but not the same, it's nostalgic with a note of longing in it that fits the game perfectly. I rarely take note of game music, save for a few catchy battle themes, but it's the music in the roads between towns that caught my ears. There's so much attention to detail, such as Estelle passing a certain area and commenting about when she was last there and how she feels about the place. Bleublanc is pretty hilarious so far, though a bit sillier than most of the other characters, and yes, that is including Oliver. I look forward to learning more about him.
The second story mission in chapter 1 is a lot shorter and feels like an extra, but it is a fun bit of continuity in regards to the mayoral situation in Ruan, which was left in need of restructuring in FC. The gameplay takes a departure from battles and takes a detective style. Though it's not usually my thing, it was a nice little breather in between the more combat heavy missions. I managed to solve the case and it's not too hard, but with enough loops to make it interesting, so don't be tempted by that "give up" option.
We get more scenes about what the other characters are up to after chapter 1, including the mysterious Kevin, who seems to know everyone from Theresa, to Julia to Alicia. Whoever this guy is, you can tell at a glance he's important. He has a character portrait and is given a detailed introduction with an explanation for his background that screams "there's more to it than that!" I also ran into a little girl who has a character portrait, but nothing significant has happened with her yet. Also, the main Raven boys now have character portraits as well and more distinct personalities. The Capua bandits also made an appearance, but they haven't really been shown doing anything yet, we just know there's some sort of plot, but it hasn't been revealed yet. Agate hinted that we might learn more about his past, which he lightly hinted at in FC, but it hasn't been elaborated yet.
There are so many threads that the game keeps updating to make sure you don't forget them, slowly tying them together and giving you just enough hints to keep coming back for more. I confess that I altered the order of my commentary in this post in regards to characters, so that you couldn't use it as a guide as to who has run into who in certain key points... Yes, Joshua ran into someone, but you won't be able to tell who it is just by this post.
I admit, as a lover of spoilers, this makes me a bit impatient and if it was a game I loved less, my enjoyment would be diminished by the nagging curiosity, but I'm enjoying every moment of this despite not knowing what will come. In some areas, I worry a bit that the game will disappoint me, two particular instances stand out: the prologue and my concern about how much care was put into the lore and logic of the world balancing it with game elements, and the first mission and my suspicions about it being pure filler. In both instances the game delivered very well. The prologue was amusing and clever, poking fun at RPGs right as you dive into a big RPG, and the first mission was connected to the plot in enough ways to be very significant but without being too obvious or convenient.
I'm looking forward to the replay and seeing what was happening on those other regions where Schera went while Agate investigated different areas. Agate's tension with imperial citizens has also been emphasized and I'm curious about it, though Oliver seems to be doing a fine job of smoothing things to an extent, or maybe unnerving Agate for other reasons that make the whole "outsider" status seem like nothing. I'm really enjoying the interaction and looking forward to finding out more about Oliver, though I already know some things the characters don't.
Starting off chapter 2 (of SC, not SC itself) I'm noticing that there's more air travel. I can't help it but to think that this is to keep me from running off to Schera's side of the map and messing with the different routes system. There is an in game reason for it, after all, Joshua and Estelle were walking as part of their training and now Estelle and company are rushing all over trying to help the guild, she's not a trainee anymore and has stuff to do. Yet I do find myself missing being able to revisit old areas whenever, even if I probably wouldn't. Maybe this limitation will be removed once Agate and Schera's routes reach a common point. I don't know when that will be, but I'm guessing the alternate routes will lead to the same conclusion eventually.
"I was surprised when I found out about what happen to X." - Not spoiler.
"What happened to X was blah blah blah..." - Spoiler.
The difference is that in the first one, while you may know that what happened to X will be revealed and it will be surprising (in my opinion at least), you still don't know what the thing that happened is. If you are particularly sensitive to spoilers and something like "Z makes an appearance and talks to Y!" Even if you know nothing about what they actually say, is enough to constitute a spoiler for you, then don't read this. If you don't mind hints meant to built curiosity rather than give answers then (you're cool) read on (and check out my Twitter for screen shots.)
SC picks up immediately after FC, without the time skip I've come to expect from sequels. We get some interesting scenes with lots of feels and a peculiar new character is briefly introduced, then we start up on the prologue.
The prologue involves a small time skip, but still nothing big. We see some light character development for Analace, and I have to say, she's pretty amusing. This takes place in a new area, which is not too big and feels a tad disconnected from the rest of the game, despite being told where it is, because you can't move around freely, but rather select locations on a map. The plot twist is fairly easy to guess and will likely make you go "I knew it." More so then the satisfaction of guessing, I was just glad that they went with the only option that made sense, as it would have been a plot hole otherwise and this game has a pretty solid story for the most part. Yet I appreciated this segment so much more when I realized they were poking fun at classic RPGs. Overall, I enjoyed the prologue, after that, Estelle returns to Liberl.
To prevent the game from slowing down too much on the plot points from FC, they present clever little scenes of what other characters are doing between chapters. I was surprised to see Joshua. I'm glad that we get to see at least a hint of his side of the story instead of keeping him hidden away until the very end.
In chapter 1 (that is chapter 1 of SC not FC, why not just call them part 1 and 2 instead of having chapters with chapters?!) we get the option to choose to travel with Agate or Schera. This is my first play-through and if you know me, it's obvious I chose Agate because he's my favorite character. I don't know how different Schera's route is, but I imagine it merits a replay since she was heading to a different area of the country and should receive different missions.
In this blog I'm only going to focus on the story missions without much mention of optional side-quests. The first mission involves gathering clues and investigating a ghost. It's a fun little story that seems filler-ish at first, but is closely tied to the main plot. We get to see Kloe again and she gets some character development along with Estelle. I really enjoyed their conversation and reminiscing. Oliver's entrance into the story was amusing and he's as funny as ever. Needless to say, I'm quite happy with my team, though I don't have any characters I dislike.
There have been hints about the members of Orouboros and some appearances by new characters though there are still plenty of secrets to be revealed. Some characters also make an appearance in Trails of Cold Steel, which I plan to play later. I'm really getting to love the Trails series, though going above Sky will be no easy task (puns aside).
Another thing I'm enjoying about SC is how the music is similar yet different to FC. It's familiar and recognizable, but not the same, it's nostalgic with a note of longing in it that fits the game perfectly. I rarely take note of game music, save for a few catchy battle themes, but it's the music in the roads between towns that caught my ears. There's so much attention to detail, such as Estelle passing a certain area and commenting about when she was last there and how she feels about the place. Bleublanc is pretty hilarious so far, though a bit sillier than most of the other characters, and yes, that is including Oliver. I look forward to learning more about him.
The second story mission in chapter 1 is a lot shorter and feels like an extra, but it is a fun bit of continuity in regards to the mayoral situation in Ruan, which was left in need of restructuring in FC. The gameplay takes a departure from battles and takes a detective style. Though it's not usually my thing, it was a nice little breather in between the more combat heavy missions. I managed to solve the case and it's not too hard, but with enough loops to make it interesting, so don't be tempted by that "give up" option.
We get more scenes about what the other characters are up to after chapter 1, including the mysterious Kevin, who seems to know everyone from Theresa, to Julia to Alicia. Whoever this guy is, you can tell at a glance he's important. He has a character portrait and is given a detailed introduction with an explanation for his background that screams "there's more to it than that!" I also ran into a little girl who has a character portrait, but nothing significant has happened with her yet. Also, the main Raven boys now have character portraits as well and more distinct personalities. The Capua bandits also made an appearance, but they haven't really been shown doing anything yet, we just know there's some sort of plot, but it hasn't been revealed yet. Agate hinted that we might learn more about his past, which he lightly hinted at in FC, but it hasn't been elaborated yet.
There are so many threads that the game keeps updating to make sure you don't forget them, slowly tying them together and giving you just enough hints to keep coming back for more. I confess that I altered the order of my commentary in this post in regards to characters, so that you couldn't use it as a guide as to who has run into who in certain key points... Yes, Joshua ran into someone, but you won't be able to tell who it is just by this post.
I admit, as a lover of spoilers, this makes me a bit impatient and if it was a game I loved less, my enjoyment would be diminished by the nagging curiosity, but I'm enjoying every moment of this despite not knowing what will come. In some areas, I worry a bit that the game will disappoint me, two particular instances stand out: the prologue and my concern about how much care was put into the lore and logic of the world balancing it with game elements, and the first mission and my suspicions about it being pure filler. In both instances the game delivered very well. The prologue was amusing and clever, poking fun at RPGs right as you dive into a big RPG, and the first mission was connected to the plot in enough ways to be very significant but without being too obvious or convenient.
I'm looking forward to the replay and seeing what was happening on those other regions where Schera went while Agate investigated different areas. Agate's tension with imperial citizens has also been emphasized and I'm curious about it, though Oliver seems to be doing a fine job of smoothing things to an extent, or maybe unnerving Agate for other reasons that make the whole "outsider" status seem like nothing. I'm really enjoying the interaction and looking forward to finding out more about Oliver, though I already know some things the characters don't.
Starting off chapter 2 (of SC, not SC itself) I'm noticing that there's more air travel. I can't help it but to think that this is to keep me from running off to Schera's side of the map and messing with the different routes system. There is an in game reason for it, after all, Joshua and Estelle were walking as part of their training and now Estelle and company are rushing all over trying to help the guild, she's not a trainee anymore and has stuff to do. Yet I do find myself missing being able to revisit old areas whenever, even if I probably wouldn't. Maybe this limitation will be removed once Agate and Schera's routes reach a common point. I don't know when that will be, but I'm guessing the alternate routes will lead to the same conclusion eventually.