The Legend of Heroes Thread - Trails of Cold Steel in the Sky

[Sarathiour]

IDK why, it was working this morning.

 

[Sarathiour]

What the hell

 

[Rahdulan]

What the hell

Don't hotlink, re-upload the image somewhere.

 

[Sarathiour]

Don't hotlink, re-upload the image somewhere.

Well here goes nothing :

 

[StaticSpine]

So you can switch to TB

 

[Ysaye]

So presumably if you are in real time action, the dodge mechanism (ie. the ability to press x to dodge) only kicks in if the mathematics allows for it, similar to how I recall it working in Ys 8 (I haven't played Ys 9 yet so don't know if that was brought over to that game?), whereas if you are in turn based mode, it automatically happens on the enemy attacking OR you get a limited time to press X on the enemy's attack turn, sort of similar to how link attacks occurred in previous Trails?

And presumably the big plusof all of this for Falcom with all of this is that they can finally get rid of transition from the general movement to battle (it becomes if it were seamless)?

For the player (that likes turn based), it means that meaningless battles can just probably be "sped up" by attacking the enemies on the map in real time, whereas the actual interesting ones can be brought into turn based?

 

[Deleted member 7219]

It sounds like a real mess to me, and goes against what makes Trails great.

I hope the TB mode is actually TB and an evolution of the system from the previous games, rather than a dumbed down version of it.

 

[Ventidius]

Having two different combat systems is always going to result in issues because developers have to spend time and resources tuning the game for both modes. Achieving the same level of quality for the combat that the dedicated turn-based games attained alone would be a challenge, but improving it would seem like a rather tall order. They do have experience on their side, I'll admit, as they have experimented with many different approaches to encounter design and combat systems in the Cold Steel series alone. At this point, they probably have a feel for what works and what doesn't. I'll probably end up buying it at some point down the line, but I am a bit skeptical overall and do think this could very well lead to decline.

That said, I have to wonder why they think this is a good idea at all. First, the combat in the last two games could be sped up and/or automated to the point that trivial fights weren't really much of a time sink. Second, Falcom already has two Action RPG franchises in play for people that like the genre (Ys and Tokyo Xanadu), so why not keep their catalog diversified? And third, my impression is that turn-based games have been doing better financially as of late, what with the recent successes of franchises like Divinity: Original Sin, XCOM, and Fire Emblem. Not to mention I recall reading that the Cold Steel games themselves have been doing progressively better in terms of sales. It would seem like a better idea to take advantage of a rising niche in which they could realistically, and through steady work, secure a lead than trying to muscle into a larger market where competition is likely to be much stronger.

 

[cruel]

This seems like a massive decline, unfortunately. There is no way they can balance the combat to be challenging in both turn based and real time mode. Combat system is one of the greatest thing about Cold Steel games and one of the reasons I liked those games so much. If they replace it with some real time button mashing crap like newer Ys games (couldn't stand those for more than 10min), my interest in the franchise will be gone. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Sarathiour]

Yeah, one style is doomed to be easier than the other, that's a given.
I don't want to be too pessimistic for TB though, if you pay attention to the UI, there still seems to be the classic command :attack/craft/art/item, and a new one called S-boost. It was also confirmed that they will still be buff/debuff art, and not just" choose your flavor of damage".

I'm also skeptical , but we still have shitload of time before this game is going to be any close from a western release.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Balancing the two different modes will be hard I agree - but if the game has an increased budget and a larger team they could pull it off.

Maybe they will look for statistics on who leaves it as a real time rather than switch back to TB and base future decisions off that.

Good point about Ys and Tokyo Xanadu being real time though. Trails has always been turn based from day one, with no dumbing down, only added mechanics. Whichever way you look at it, adding an optional real time mode is still decline. I hope this is a one off and they will be persuaded to go back to exclusive TB for the next one.

We still have Hajimari in between, regardless.

 

[CyberModuled]

I don't even play these games for the gameplay and I sympathize with fans. This looks poor and the turn based looks very tailored for the real time combat.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Roll-a-mole combat

 

[Lyre Mors]

Turn-based looks very similar to the past system, except the movement looks freeform. Hopefully there is some kind of "movement point" gauge going down I'm not seeing there, but I'm guessing it's free movement until you use an action. So movement and positioning might not take up your turn, which is definitely decline, but besides that the turn-based system seems very close to Cold Steel.

 

[Shinji]

Turn-based looks great.
Not sure why they felt the need to add a "real-time action" mode, though.

 

[NerevarineKing]

I'm a long time fan of the series and I'm not sure why we're automatically dismissing this system. The animations in the Cold Steel games look pretty bad and this already looks much better. I'll see for myself how it plays, but I seriously doubt it's gonna be an issue in the slightest. I'm a fan of both Ys and Trails so I can enjoy both types of combat.

 

[Lyre Mors]

I'm a long time fan of the series and I'm not sure why we're automatically dismissing this system.

Well, there's one who's indifferent about it, one sad about it, and there's two of us who say that it looks fine. I wouldn't say "we've" dismissed anything.

 

[Ventidius]

So, apparently, they are making a Trails of Cold Steel anime series:

https://www.siliconera.com/trails-of-cold-steel-will-receive-an-anime-adaptation-in-2022/

Spoiler

Trails of Cold Steel Will Receive an Anime Adaptation in 2022
By KITE STENBUCK 10 hours ago

Nihon Falcom announced a TV anime adaptation of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel on the company’s 40th-anniversary stream. The show is scheduled to air in 2022. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

Falcom revealed the upcoming anime adaptation is a global joint project with four other companies. In addition to the content brand SYOU and the anime production company NADA Holdings, Falcom will also work with Funimation Global Group, LLC, which handles global anime distribution, and UserJoy Technology Co., Ltd., which has been distributing Falcom titles to Taiwan and other Asian countries.

Trails of Cold Steel consists of four games that began with the first title’s release on the PlayStation 3 and Vita in September 2013. The last title in the tetralogy, Trails of Cold Steel IV, was released first in Japan for the PlayStation 4 in September 2018. The game tetralogy primarily told the story of Rean Schwarzer, who enrolled at the Thors Military Academy in the Erebonian Empire. The new press release stated that the anime adaptation will depict the story in West Zemuria based on the original games.

All titles in the Cold Steel tetralogy are currently available worldwide on the PlayStation 4. The series is also gradually making its way to the PC and Nintendo Switch. NIS America will release The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on April 9, 2021.

It's funny, since I have as of late been thinking that it'd probably be a good idea if someone adapted some of the Trails arcs to anime. For one thing, the Cold Steel series has better world-building, characters, visual design, and plot than the vast majority of anime series out there. It definitely sounds interesting and I, for one, look forward to this.

 

[Urthor]

It seems like they have got the production committee together, who usually jointly fund the project, but not the studio. We'll see how it goes then.

 

[HoboForEternity]

damn the action basically is just ys game with extra steps

at first i thought it was more of atelier ryza with some ATB, which is isn't too bad i guess.

the TB mode looks ham fisted and just to minimize potential damage.

then again i like yakuza 7 and it is such a departure from the usual series, so i won't be that guy and at least give them a chance.

 

[Carpincho Pampeano]

The trails series is "Stockholm Syndrome: The series" thank God i managed to escape after i finished Cold Steel 2, and that was already the lowest of the low bottom barrel of light novel writing tier. I was hoping that Kondo was pulling some deconstruction of the genre stuff but it was all unironic.

 

[Bara]

So I finished Trails in the Sky 1 a while a go and I'm thinking of giving two a shot once I finish IWD2 again.

Does the plot get more interesting or pickup in two? The combats fine and the world itself is interesting enough but plot in the first game felt like a chore to get through.

 

[Duraframe300]

So I finished Trails in the Sky 1 a while a go and I'm thinking of giving two a shot once I finish IWD2 again.

Does the plot get more interesting or pickup in two? The combats fine and the world itself is interesting enough but plot in the first game felt like a chore to get through.

1 is like a really long prologue to 2, so yes. Its a lot faster paced.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Not long now, PC Master Race!

 

[Data4]

So, apparently, they are making a Trails of Cold Steel anime series:

https://www.siliconera.com/trails-of-cold-steel-will-receive-an-anime-adaptation-in-2022/

Spoiler

Trails of Cold Steel Will Receive an Anime Adaptation in 2022
By KITE STENBUCK 10 hours ago

Nihon Falcom announced a TV anime adaptation of The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel on the company’s 40th-anniversary stream. The show is scheduled to air in 2022. [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

Falcom revealed the upcoming anime adaptation is a global joint project with four other companies. In addition to the content brand SYOU and the anime production company NADA Holdings, Falcom will also work with Funimation Global Group, LLC, which handles global anime distribution, and UserJoy Technology Co., Ltd., which has been distributing Falcom titles to Taiwan and other Asian countries.

Trails of Cold Steel consists of four games that began with the first title’s release on the PlayStation 3 and Vita in September 2013. The last title in the tetralogy, Trails of Cold Steel IV, was released first in Japan for the PlayStation 4 in September 2018. The game tetralogy primarily told the story of Rean Schwarzer, who enrolled at the Thors Military Academy in the Erebonian Empire. The new press release stated that the anime adaptation will depict the story in West Zemuria based on the original games.

All titles in the Cold Steel tetralogy are currently available worldwide on the PlayStation 4. The series is also gradually making its way to the PC and Nintendo Switch. NIS America will release The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam on April 9, 2021.

It's funny, since I have as of late been thinking that it'd probably be a good idea if someone adapted some of the Trails arcs to anime. For one thing, the Cold Steel series has better world-building, characters, visual design, and plot than the vast majority of anime series out there. It definitely sounds interesting and I, for one, look forward to this.

There already is a TiTS anime.